For Want of a Scar
by MegaBob452
Summary: Prince Zuko kept his mouth shut during that war meeting. He never disrespected his father. Never faced him in Agni Kai. He was never scarred. Zuko never hunted the Avatar. Without Zuko driving him forward, Aang's journey takes a different turn.
1. Prologue: The Perfect Prince

_A/N: I have no idea if someone else has written an AU with this premise. If anyone knows a story where this happens please tell me so I can avoid using anything someone else has already done._

Prologue: The Perfect Prince

"Let me in."

"Prince Zuko, what's wrong?"

"I want to go into the war chamber but the guard won't let me pass," Zuko said.

"You're not missing anything, trust me," Iroh said. "These meetings are dreadfully boring."

"If I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I need to start learning as much as I can?" Zuko asked.

"Very well," Iroh said. "But you must promise not to speak. These old folks are a bit sensitive."

"Thank you uncle," Zuko said.

General Iroh led Prince Zuko into the war chamber and the guards let them pass. True to his word Zuko stayed silent, listening and learning from the generals. This was good experience for when he would have to develop his own war strategies in the future. But then one of the generals devised a plan that Zuko didn't want to hear.

"The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here," the general explained. "A dangerous battalion of their strongest earthbenders and fiercest warriors. So I am recommending the 41st division."

Another general questioned this course of action. "But the 41st is entirely new recruits. How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?"

"I don't," the first general said. "They will be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear. What better to use as bait than fresh meat."

_He's going to sacrifice an entire division!_ Zuko thought. He was about to object to the general's plan, but Iroh placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko remembered his promise not to speak, and kept his mouth shut. He let the general continue with his plan, knowing that those recruits weren't going to come back alive.

After the war meeting ended Zuko practiced his firebending to vent his frustration regarding the general. He practiced until he was exhausted, and then practiced some more. When he was finished he cleaned himself up and tried to relax near the turtleduck pond. He didn't notice his father approach from behind.

"Well done Prince Zuko," Fire Lord Ozai said.

Zuko turned to face his father. "But I didn't do anything," he said.

"Exactly," Ozai said. "You didn't let your emotions drive your actions today. You showed respect, without needing to be taught through suffering."

"Was the general's plan, just a test?" Zuko asked.

"Yes," Ozai said. "If you are going to become Fire Lord one day, you need to know when to show respect and when others need to be taught it. Your respect today has brought you one step closer to being the perfect prince."

"Thank you father," Zuko said.


	2. The Avatar Returns

_A/N: Starting off right where the main story diverges from canon, which is where Zuko was supposed to show up at the South Pole._

Chapter 1: The Avatar Returns

At a small village in the South Pole, Sokka prepared himself for battle. His sister and that airbender had just set off a flare in the abandoned Fire Nation ship, and Sokka expected it to be seen by the Fire Navy. He had forced Aang to leave the village, and Katara had nearly left with him. Gran Gran convinced Katara to stay, and Sokka prepared the village for an attack.

But the attack never came. Not even a single flake of black snow from a passing Fire Nation ship. Sokka waited for hours, with no sign of any ships in the area. He continued to wait on the snow wall, adamant that there would be an attack. Sokka didn't want to admit that he was wrong, since that would mean he would have to apologize to Katara and Aang.

"Sokka come down from there!" Katara yelled. "You're going to miss your supper."

"And while I eat the Fire Nation could attack," Sokka yelled back.

"If there was going to be an attack it would have been here by now" Katara said. "Stop being stubborn and come down."

"Fine," Sokka said. He left his post, cleaned off his battle makeup, and quietly ate his supper. He could see Katara giving the 'I told you so' look the entire time. When Sokka finished eating he couldn't stand that look anymore. "Alright I'm sorry Katara."

"You should be apologizing to Aang," Katara said. "You ran him off over an accident, which by the way didn't cause any harm."

"Well he isn't here," Sokka said.

"He can't have gone far," Katara said. "We can find him and you can apologize."

* * *

><p>Aang was taking a nap with Appa in an ice formation. Appa had been too tired to fly and Aang wasn't going to make him swim back to the Southern Air Temple. Both of them had slept for several hours, despite the sun still being in the sky. When Aang woke to his stomach growling, he considered going back to the village just for something to eat.<p>

_Who knew being frozen for a hundred years would make you this tired and hungry?_ Aang thought. He was about to walk back to the village when he saw Katara and Sokka wandering around the ice. "Hey!" Aang yelled to get their attention.

"There you are," Katara said as she walked up to Aang.

"Did something happen?" Aang asked.

"Nope, which is why we're here," Katara said. Then she grabbed Sokka and pushed him ahead of her. "Sokka has something to say."

Sokka looked at his boots and said "I'm sorry for kicking you out of our village like that. I was wrong and I realize that you're not a threat."

"Apology accepted," Aang said. "You wouldn't have something to eat by any chance?"

"I got some seal jerky," Sokka said. He took some out of his pocket and offered it to Aang.

"Anything not made of meat?" Aang asked.

"Meat is all we got," Sokka said. "You can't grow plants in ice."

Aang's stomach growled even louder. While he was a vegetarian and didn't want to eat meat, he realized that he really couldn't afford to be picky right now. He accepted the seal jerky and forced it down just to make his stomach happy. With that out of the way Aang asked "Hey do either of you want to come with me to the Southern Air Temple?"

"I'd love to," Katara said. "Afterward maybe you can take me to the North Pole to learn waterbending."

"Sure," Aang said. "Are you going to come too Sokka?"

"I don't think so," Sokka said. "Someone needs to stay here and protect the tribe. Now if you were the Avatar then it would be completely different."

"Yea, if I was the Avatar," Aang said with a weak laugh. "Well Katara do you want to go now?"

"Ok," Katara said. To Sokka she said "Take care of Gran Gran for me."

"Climb aboard," Aang said. He woke up Appa and hopped into the saddle with Katara. "Yip Yip" Aang said and Appa took off, surprising Katara and Sokka. When on their way to the Southern Air Temple Aang showed Katara a map of the world and pointed out all the places he wanted to visit. Appa flew straight for the Southern Air Temple, and arrived there in a few days.

When they arrived at the temple Aang showed Katara the sights. The airball field, the bison stables, the main courtyard, and then the statue of Monk Gyatso. After reminiscing about old times with Gyatso, Aang walked with Katara to the airbender sanctuary. Aang opened the door with airbending, and then went inside with Katara.

Inside were hundreds of statues, lined up in a spiral pattern. "Who are all these people?" Katara asked.

"I'm not sure," Aang said. _Yet they seem so familiar_ he thought.

"Hey, they're lined up in a pattern," Katara observed. Pointing to four statues one at a time she said "Air, Water, Earth, and Fire."

"That's the Avatar Cycle," Aang said.

"Of course, they're Avatars," Katara said.

_My past lives_ Aang thought. Then he walked to the last statue in the row, and zoned out while staring at it.

"Are you alright Aang?" Katara asked.

"Huh?" Aang said, startled.

"Who is that?" Katara asked.

"Avatar Roku, the last Avatar" Aang said.

"There's no writing," Katara observed. "How do you know his name?"

"I'm not sure," Aang said.

Katara was going to ask another question when they heard something enter the sanctuary. The two kids hid behind statues and waited for the trespasser to come into view. But it was just a lemur, which Aang wanted to claim as a pet. The lemur ran and Aang chased it through the temple, having fun until he followed the lemur into an old building.

Inside the tent were the remains of over a dozen firebenders. At the other end of the tent was a skeleton of an airbender, and Aang recognized the medallion it wore as Monk Gyatsos. Aang fell to his knees and cried over the loss of his mentor.

Katara followed Aang to that old building, and when she walked inside she found Aang in pain. Then she saw the firebender remains, and realized what Aang must be feeling. "I'm sorry Aang" Katara said as she placed a hand on Aang's shoulder to comfort him. Suddenly Aang's tattoos started to glow, and a maelstrom formed which destroyed the building and threw Katara away.

A sphere of wind lifted Aang into the air. The sheer power and the glowing tattoos were enough to tell Katara that Aang was the Avatar, and that this was the Avatar State. Katara knew she had to get Aang to calm down, and that she would have to talk to him to do it. "Aang, I know you're upset" she said. "I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom. Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. I am your family now."

Aang slowly descended and the maelstrom ended. The glow in Aang's tattoos and eyes faded as Katara walked up to him, and he collapsed from exhaustion into her arms. "I'm sorry" Aang said weakly.

"It's okay," Katara said. "It wasn't your fault."

Katara helped Aang walk down to where Appa was resting. Neither of them wanted to stay here any longer, and wanted to move on. Just before they left the lemur from earlier showed up, carrying a peach. Aang decided to keep the lemur as a pet and named it Momo.

As Appa flew away from the temple, Katara couldn't resist asking a question. "Why didn't you tell me you were the Avatar?"

"Because, I never wanted to be," Aang answered.

* * *

><p>In the Fire Sage temple on Crescent Island, the eyes of Avatar Roku's statue began to glow. One of the Fire Sages witnessed the event, and sent word to the Fire Lord. From there news of the Avatar's return spread through the military, and a new standing order was issued. Neutralize the Avatar, take him alive if possible but if necessary, kill him.<p> 


	3. The Warrior of Kyoshi

Chapter 2: The Warrior of Kyoshi

On their way north Aang and Katara stopped at an island with a large bay. Aang wanted to ride the elephant koi, and so he did. Katara enjoyed the show, encouraging Aang to keep riding. Aang's fun caused the fish to behave unnaturally, and the odd behavior summoned a bigger fish. Aang fell off the koi just in time to a massive fin rise out of the water. He swam as fast as he could back to shore, getting out of the bigger fish's reach.

"What was that?" Katara asked.

"I have no idea," Aang answered. "We should get going."

Suddenly several women in armored dresses ambushed Katara and Aang. They were captured faster than they could react, and then carried to a village on the island. Then they were tied to a large wood post, and the village elder asked them who they were.

"I'm sorry we came here," Aang said. "I wanted to ride the elephant koi."

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" The elder asked. "Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way."

"This island is named for Kyoshi?" Aang asked. "I know Kyoshi."

The elder laughed. "How could you possible know her?" he asked. "Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."

Aang decided it was time to reveal who he really was to the elder. "I know her because I'm the Avatar."

"That's impossible," the lead warrior said. "The last Avatar was an airbender that disappeared a hundred years ago."

"That's me," Aang said. Then he took a deep breath and blew, creating a large wind. The elder and the warriors were amazed at seeing airbending for the first time. A villager nearby appeared to have a spasm, started foaming from the mouth, and then collapsed.

The warriors freed Aang and Katara, apologized for the misunderstanding, and then treated them as guests in their village. Word of the Avatar's return spread across the island like wildfire, and the villagers were excited to hear it. Some of the villagers started to clean and repaint the statue of Avatar Kyoshi.

Aang spent the rest of the day reveling in the attention of being the Avatar. He was constantly chased by the local girls, to the extent that he couldn't stay in one place for more than five minutes. The local shopkeepers let Aang take whatever supplies he would need for his journey. Katara didn't like how the attention was going to Aang's head, and refused to watch him attempt to ride the Unagi the next day.

Katara spent her time gathering supplies for their trip. When she was finished Katara asked the village elder if she could borrow a messenger bird. The elder agreed and Katara started writing a letter to Sokka. In the letter she wrote how Sokka was missing out on traveling with the Avatar, and that she met some real warriors along the way. She was already starting to miss Sokka, and jokingly suggested that he stow away on a Fire Nation ship to catch up with her.

When Aang tried to ride the Unagi the sea serpent didn't show up. The girls that had obsessed over him got bored and walked away. Aang was disappointed until Katara showed up, her conscience getting the better of her. Aang admitted that he let the attention get to his head, and then started to swim back to the shore. But as he swam the Unagi finally showed up to attack.

Aang ended up on the Unagi's back, and then the serpent sprayed water at Aang. Then it tried to bite Aang, forcing him to jump and grab onto one of the Unagi's feelers. It thrashed around in the water, throwing Aang off. Katara jumped into the water and swam towards Aang, reaching him just when the Unagi was about to strike. She used waterbending to propel herself and Aang away from the Unagi and back to shore.

Back on dry land Katara had to remove water from Aang's throat with waterbending. Then Aang weakly said "Don't ride the Unagi, not fun."

"I could have told you that," Katara said. Then she picked up Aang and brought him back to the village to recover. The elder was concerned about Aang's reckless behavior, and decided to talk with the warriors in private.

Katara let Aang rest in the village, then started packing their supplies on Appa. She was starting to feel like she and Aang had overstayed their welcome and should leave as soon as possible. Her plan was to leave in the morning after a good night's sleep. As Katara walked to a guest room one of the Kyoshi Warriors bumped into her in the hallway.

"Are you leaving already?" the warrior asked.

"Tomorrow," Katara answered. "We have a long journey to make."

"I see," the warrior said. "And it's just you and Aang?"

"Pretty much," Katara said. "Hey I never caught your name."

"Suki," she said. "Well goodnight then."

The next morning Aang felt good as new, and was ready to leave with Katara. They brought Appa into the village for a farewell. The strange villager from earlier had another seizure with foaming mouth and fainted. The village elder wished them good luck, and Appa was about to take off when Suki ran up to the bison.

"I'm coming too," Suki said.

"Really?" Aang asked.

"Why?" Katara asked.

"Two kids on their own fighting against the Fire Nation," Suki said. "You may be the Avatar, but you need more help than that."

"Okay," Aang said. "The more the merrier."

Suki climbed aboard Appa and then the bison took off. After waiting for Suki to get accustomed to flying Aang laid out his map and showed Suki where he wanted to go next. He wanted to head for Omashu, where his old friend Bumi used to live. Aang planned to just have Appa fly straight there over the ocean in the way.

"Um Aang, that route takes us into an area patrolled by the Fire Nation," Suki said.

"How do you know that?" Katara asked.

"Kyoshi Island may have stayed out of the war, but that doesn't mean we aren't ignorant of it," Suki explained. "We keep an eye on what's happening nearby."

"So is there a safer way to reach Omashu?" Aang asked.

"We should be alright if we fly just a few miles inland from the coast," Suki said. "It will take us near the Foggy Swamp, but that shouldn't be a problem in the air."

"Is the Foggy Swamp dangerous?" Katara asked.

"Well you're guaranteed to get lost in there," Suki explained. "But since we're flying we'll be fine."

A large Fire Nation ship was passing through the waters between Kyoshi Island and Chin Village. One of the officers aboard spotted a flying bison moving towards the continent, and informed his superior. Commander Zhao observed the bison through a spyglass, and wrote down his location and the direction the bison was travelling. The bison was heading inland, outside his jurisdiction as a Naval Commander. Zhao didn't like it, but he had to inform the Army General of this sighting. She was scheduled to lay siege to Omashu, but the Avatar was more important than taking the mad king's city.


	4. The Detour

Chapter 3: The Detour

On the way to Omashu Appa was flying north over the Foggy Swamp. There was no sign of the Fire Nation in sight and the bison was making good time. Suki was cleaning her fans and Katara was looking at the map. Aang was feeling something strange coming from the swamp, and was slowly guiding Appa down without realizing it.

"Why are we going down?" Suki asked.

"What? I didn't even notice," Aang said.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

"This is going to sound weird, but I think the swamp is calling to me," Aang said. "I think it wants us to land."

"But there's nothing in there," Suki said. "Just trees, bogs, and cat-gators."

"And this place seems ominous," Katara said.

"Alright," Aang said. "Bye swamp."

Suddenly a tornado formed out of nowhere and chased Appa. Aang tried to guide Appa away from it, but the tornado followed every turn. It closed in on Appa and Katara was almost pulled out of the saddle by the wind. Aang tried to make a sphere of wind to shield them from the tornado, but it wasn't enough. Inside the tornado Aang, Katara, and Suki were pulled off Appa and then thrown into the swamp.

"Everyone okay?" Suki asked as she pulled herself out of the water.

"I'm fine," Katara said.

"Where are Appa and Momo?" Aang asked.

Then Katara looked at Suki, and noticed that her warrior's makeup had started to run from being in the water. "Suki, you might want remove your makeup."

Suki placed a hand on her face and noticed what Katara saw. "And I just put it on too," she said. She wiped it off her face and didn't bother to replace it.

Aang climbed the nearest tree to get a better view of the swamp. He couldn't find Appa or Momo, and the tornado had vanished as well. He returned to the others and they started to move through the swamp to find Appa. Suki unsheathed her katana and started cutting through the vegetation with it to clear a path.

"Maybe we should be a little nicer to the swamp," Aang said.

"The longer we take getting through this the more likely we won't get out of here," Suki said.

As they moved through the swamp there was no sign of Appa. Night fell and they were forced to make camp. When all three of them were asleep several vines started to move and wrap around them. At once they were pulled away in different directions, waking them up screaming.

Aang freed himself by using airbending to push the vines away. Katara forced the vines off her and then used waterbending to clumsily force back more. Suki got a hand to one of her fans and used it to cut the vines apart.

When the vines stopped moving Suki looked for Aang and Katara. They weren't in sight so she started hacking through the vegetation again while calling out for them. Then she heard a boy yelling, as if something very annoying had happened to him. Suki turned towards the voice, and in the distance was a boy in blue clothing.

"Who's there?" Suki asked. The boy started to run, and Suki followed him. The creatures in the swamp almost seemed to laugh as the boy passed, though Suki couldn't make out what he was saying. Suki had almost caught up with the boy when he faded away. Then she heard something moving through the vegetation nearby, and suddenly Aang and Katara fell through it and into Suki.

"What was that for?" Suki asked.

"Hey I've been looking all over for you!" Katara yelled.

"I was chasing some girl," Aang said.

"What girl?" Katara asked.

"I don't know," Aang admitted. "I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress."

"Weird," Suki said. "I saw some strange boy and everything was laughing at him."

"I saw my mom," Katara said.

"Strange," Aang said. "All our visions led here."

"The middle of the swamp," Katara said.

"The center," Aang said. "It's the heart of the swamp. It's been calling us here."

Suddenly a massive creature made out of vines emerged from the water. Everyone screamed and then ran as the creature attacked with long arms made of vines. It grabbed Katara and started throwing her around, requiring Aang to use a blade of wind to cut her loose. The creature extended one arm and hit Aang, then grabbed Katara and moved away. Suki jumped onto the arm holding Katara and then cut it apart with her katana.

Free from the vines, Katara threw as much water as she could at the creature. It stumbled back and Suki started slashing at it with her katana while Aang struck with wind blades. The creature repaired the damage to itself by summoning more vines. Aang jumped onto the creature and created a whirlwind to disorient. Suki tossed her fans to Katara and together they started cutting the creature apart while Aang kept it busy. The creature tossed Aang away, but in doing so one of the cuts revealed a short round man inside it.

"There's someone in there!" Suki yelled.

Then the creature grabbed Katara and Suki, wrapping them in think vines. Aang moved in and sent several large wind blades to cut through the creature. It remained intact but then Aang put everything he had into a large windblast to break the vines along the cuts, breaking it apart and revealing the man inside.

"Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?" Aang demanded.

"Wait!" the man said. "I didn't call you here."

"We were flying over and I heard something calling to me, telling me to land," Aang said.

"He's the Avatar," Suki said. "I should have expected stuff like this to happen."

"The Avatar," the man said. "Come with me."

The man led everyone up the large tree in the center of the swamp, and along the way he introduced himself as Huu. He explained how he achieved enlightenment under that tree, then shared his world view with them. How the entire world, like the swamp, is one living thing even if people don't act like it. Then he explained how the swamp shows visions of people that have been lost or loved, people believed to be gone but still exist in their loved ones.

Aang and Suki questioned the nature of their visions, having never met those people. Huu said that time is an illusion, and Aang realized those were people they will meet.

"This is interesting, but we still need to find Appa," Suki said.

"I think I know how to find them," Aang said. He placed a hand on the tree, and then said "Everything is connected." The swamp showed him the path to Appa, and saw that the locals were attacking him. "We've got to hurry."

The locals were moving through the swamp with Appa in a giant net behind them. They were unaware of an impending attack, and were caught off guard by one of Aang's windblasts. The windblast destroyed one of the skiffs, prompting a local on another boat to strike back. The local bended the water and threw it at Aang. Katara bended some of the water away and the rest was deflected by a gust of wind from Aang.

"Hey, you're a waterbender?" Katara said.

"You too?" the local asked. "That means we're kin?" This comment disgusted Katara.

Both sides stopped fighting, and then Huu introduced everyone. To prove there were no hard feelings the locals invited Aang and the others to dinner. They ate possum-chicken, which Katara noted that it tastes like Arctic Hen.

"So how did you do that thing with the vines?" Suki asked Huu.

"I just bend the water in the plants," Huu explained.

"You must be a master waterbender," Katara said.

"Well I don't want to brag, but I suppose I am," Huu said.

"Hey Karara," Aang said. "We could learn waterbending here. We don't have to go all the way to the North Pole."

"Hey you're right," Katara said. "Huu, will you teach us waterbending?"

"Sure," Huu said. "It's the least I can do to make up for attacking you earlier."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the South Pole, Sokka was doing the laundry for the village. He had a whole new appreciation for the things Katara did, and wished she had stayed home. Then he heard a bird screech overhead, and then saw a messenger bird land next to him. He took the message and the bird flew off, and then he read the message.<p>

"WHAT!" Sokka yelled, getting the attention of Gran Gran.

"Is something wrong?" Gran Gran asked.

"Katara's with the Avatar," Sokka said. "I thought he was just an airbender. How could I have missed it? I should have gone with them."

"Then go," Gran Gran said. "We'll be fine. You're sister needs you."

"Okay, I'm going," Sokka said. He grabbed as much food and supplies that would fit on a canoe and went out to sea. _I'm coming to help sis_ he thought.


	5. The Siege of the Swamp

Chapter 4: The Siege of the Swamp

At a southern port, Commander Zhao was creating a strategy to bring down the Avatar. It would require a force as large as possible, so he called in several favors that the Admirals owed him and began assembling his army at the port. All he needed to execute his plan was authorization from either an Admiral or a General.

While Zhao applied the finishing touches to his plan a courier arrived with a message for Zhao. He took the message and read it. _Oh spirits! Not HER!_ He thought. He quickly tidied up his tent, putting everything in order for his unexpected guest. He had just finished when the guest arrived.

"Commander Zhao," she said as she entered the tent.

"Princess Azula," Zhao said.

Azula was wearing full royal armor, designed for optimal firebending combat. "I'm here on a military matter Zhao, not a political one. You can drop the formality."

"Of course Azula," Zhao said. "How was the siege of Omashu?"

"Pathetic," Azula said. "That mad king surrendered without putting up a fight. It was really disappointing."

"I see," Zhao said. "Well if you're here than it must be about the Avatar."

"That, and your plan to burn down some backwater swamp," Azula said.

"The Avatar was last seen heading for the Foggy Swamp," Zhao said. "That was a month ago and he hasn't been spotted since. Word on the grapevine is that he only knows airbending, and needs a waterbending teacher."

"So you think he's found one in that swamp?" Azula asked.

"It may not be the poles, but there's enough water in there to make any waterbender feel at home," Zhao explained. "The Avatar could have stumbled across a hermit in there, perhaps an outcast from the Northern Water Tribe. In any case he's still there for a reason, and it's about time we flush him out."

"Very well, you may carry on with your plan," Azula said. "Just make sure you finish it. You wouldn't want to disappoint my dear brother, would you?"

* * *

><p>In the middle of the swamp, Aang and Katara were practicing their waterbending. Today they were bending the water around a pair of skiffs, sending them forward in the water. Aang was moving one and Katara was moving the other. Both skiffs had ropes attached the back, towing Suki and Huu on wooden skis. Suki was wearing local clothing to prevent her Kyoshi Warrior uniform from getting ruined in the swamp. Aang and Katara were having a race, and the winner would need to still have their skier at the finish line.<p>

At the finish line were Tho and Due, holding a rope to mark the end of the race. Katara and Suki reached the finish line first, drenching Tho with the skiff's wake as they passed. Then Aang and Huu crossed the line, drenching Due with their wake. Both skiffs stopped next to the water's edge and everyone got off.

"That was some mighty fine swamp skiing Suki," Huu said.

"Well I never thought it would be so much fun," Suki said. "Hey Katara I reckon we can beat the boys again." Then Suki stopped taking for a moment. "Did I just say 'I reckon'?"

"You must be picking up the swamp accent," Katara said.

"Please tell me you two have finished mastering waterbending so we can leave?" Suki asked. "I done think I stand it longer." Then she realized what she said. "It's happening again."

"We haven't started bending plants yet," Aang said. "Hey Huu, when are we going to start that?"

"One step at a time," Huu said. "You've got plenty more to learn with water before moving on to plants. Now Katara on the other hand, she could start bending plants tomorrow."

Suddenly another skiff arrived, with a very worried woman riding in it. She jumped off and ran up to everyone. "Huu we have a problem," she said. "There's an army right at the edge of our home. They have strange animals and metal boats and I think they're going to attack."

"Fire Nation," Katara said. "How many were there?"

"Too many to count, and more were arriving," the woman said.

"Maybe we should go and see what they want," Huu said.

"That's a bad idea," Suki said. "If the Fire Nation is gathering outside the swamp it can only mean they plan to burn it to the ground."

"Well then we won't let that happen," Huu said. "We'll gather everyone together and fight for our home."

On a river at the edge of the swamp, Commander Zhao gave the order to begin the attack. Firebenders took point and set the southern end of the swamp on fire. They enhanced and directed the flames inward, quickly burning away the plants despite being soaked with water. As the vegetation was burned away engineers moved in to dig ravines to drain the water soaked into the ground. When the ground was dry the troops moved forward, keeping an eye out for the Avatar's bison.

Suddenly a massive wave of water moved through the swamp, heading for the fires. It washed over the fires and extinguished them, then soaked the firebenders and the soldiers behind them. Then the vines in the swamp came to life and wrapped around the firebenders and pulled them into the swamp. Soldiers moved to rescue them, but were ambushed by cat-gators jumping out of the shallow water. The cat-gators bit the arms and legs of the soldiers and dragged them into the water.

The Fire Nation sent in the Kimono Rhinos next, which the cat-gators couldn't bring down. The firebenders riding the rhinos firebended at any vines moving towards them, burning them away. When the firebenders were about to set the swamp on fire again they saw something approach. Several skiffs being propelled across the water, and then they stopped and the waterbenders sent another wave at the firebenders.

"There's a whole tribe in there?" Zhao muttered as he observed with a spyglass. He gave a signal to the ships on the riverbank near the swamp, ordering them to fire their catapults. Large fireballs were hurled through the air and landed in the swamp, setting more of it on fire. As the catapults reloaded Zhao spotted the bison moving towards the ships.

Aang jumped off Appa and flew down on his glider. He landed on one of the ships and used airbending to push the crew off the deck, then used waterbending to punch a hole in the ship's hull and sink it. He repeated this with more ships until he was exhausted and had to get on Appa to rest. Fortunately night was approaching, and the Fire Nation stopped their attack.

The waterbenders of the swamp put out the fires and then regrouped. They observed that a tenth of the swamp had been burned down, and that this was only the beginning. While the waterbenders had the home field advantage, they were no soldiers. During the night they prepared as best they could, taking positions near the burned end of the swamp.

When the sun rose the Fire Nation resumed their attack, setting the swamp on fire again. Kimono Rhinos advanced, their riders firebending at the ground in front of them to dry it out for the beasts to walk on. Soldiers followed behind the rhinos, guarding the rear from being flanked. The catapults from the ships fired again, setting the trees ablaze.

Appa flew in and dropped off Katara and Suki. In her Kyoshi Warrior uniform Suki fought the soldiers with her fans, deflecting fireblasts and taking out the soldiers. Katara pulled water from the soil and turned the ground beneath the rhinos into mud, sinking them into it. Then she pulled the water out of that soil to trap the rhinos in hard dirt, and used the freed water to wash away more firebenders.

Huu moved in, creating the monster of vines. He wrapped the vines around the soldiers and tossed them into the water for the cat-gators. Some of the rhinos attempted to charge at Huu, but he stopped them with a wall of thick plant matter. Firebenders set Huu's vines ablaze, but he bended away the burning material and replaced it with fresh vines.

Zhao ordered the tanks to move in, their occupants firebending into the swamp. They dried up their own paths to get into the swamp to attack the waterbenders. The tanks were attacked by a wave of water bended by Tho and Due on a skiff. When the wave hit the tanks were flooded with water that carried cat-gators with it. In one of several tanks there was an angry Slim that bit off the limbs of firebenders inside.

Aang fought more firebenders and soldiers, combining airbending and waterbending to deal with them. He would disorient them with windblasts then bend water into the soil and make them sink in the mud. With help from several waterbenders he flooded the ground beneath the army, trapping the tanks and rhinos in the mud and slowing down the soldiers.

While the natives of the swamp fought well, they were far outnumbered. Despite their efforts the Fire Nation slowly advanced, and by nightfall a third of the swamp had been burned down. The attack stopped again for the night, and both sides regrouped. Half an hour before sunset Aang, Katara, and Suki rested under the giant tree in what used to be the exact center of the swamp.

"We can't keep this up," Aang said, resting on his back.

"Maybe we should start evacuating?" Suki suggested. "Get everyone that can't bend or fight out of the swamp."

"And where would they go?" Katara asked. "This is their home, they won't abandon it."

"There are other swamps in the Earth Kingdom," Suki said. "They may be smaller than this one but at least the people here can maintain their culture elsewhere."

"If only this swamp would call up one of those tornados like when it brought us in here," Aang said. "I'd settle for some kind of swamp spirit."

"Hey you may be onto something," Suki said.

"Come again?" Katara said.

"You don't know?" Suki asked. "The Avatar is the bridge between the physical world and the spirit world. At least that's what the old stories say."

"So if there is a swamp spirit, then I can talk to it?" Aang asked.

"Yea, and tonight's the winter solstice," Suki said. "If there's any time to reach a spirit, it's now."

"Alright I'll give it a try," Aang said. He sat up and got into a sitting position and started to meditate. Nothing happened at first, but when the last rays of the sun ended Aang's tattoos started to glow.

Suddenly Aang found himself in a different place. The swamp was gone, and in its place was a forest of bamboo. He started to explore this strange place, and heard a voice chanting. Aang followed it to a baboon trying to meditate.

"You shouldn't be here," the baboon said.

"Why?" Aang asked.

"Oh that Hei Bei is upset again," the baboon said. "You should be calming him down right now, but you are clearly not since you are here instead."

"Do you know who I am?" Aang asked.

"Of course Avatar," the baboon said. "Do not worry about Hei Bei. By the time you reach him our worlds will be far enough apart to force him to stop destroying that village."

"Ok, can you help me find a spirit of the Foggy Swamp?" Aang asked.

"You have more pressing matters," the baboon said. "We have company." Then the baboon pointed at the sky behind Aang, who turned and saw a blue dragon flying down. When it landed in front of Aang the rider dismounted and stood in front of Aang. He was an old man, wearing red clothing and a Fire Nation headpiece in his gray hair.

"Avatar Roku!" Aang said.

"Hello Aang," Roku said. "I have something very important to tell you."

"Can it wait?" Aang asked. "I need to find a spirit to save the Foggy Swamp."

"This cannot wait Aang," Roku said. Then Roku explained that how Sozin's Comet enhances firebending, and how it was used to begin the war. And then Roku told Aang that Sozin's Comet would return at the end of the summer, and that he would have to defeat the Fire Lord before that happens.

"But I only know Air and Water, I haven't started Earth and Fire," Aang complained.

"I know you can do it," Roku said. "Now, what did you need?"

"The Foggy Swamp is being burned down by the Fire Nation" Aang explained. "There's a native tribe of waterbenders there that will be destroyed if I don't get the help of a spirit that lives there."

"Is that all?" the baboon asked. "I can help with that."

"Are _you_ the swamp's spirit?" Aang asked.

"No," the baboon said. "But I know him and he would be very upset if the center tree is destroyed."

"Can you take me to him?" Aang asked.

"No," the baboon said. "But I can help you protect his swamp. You really don't want to see that spirit upset. It's not a pretty picture."

"Ok, let's go," Aang said.

* * *

><p>Commander Zhao was sleeping in his ship, getting much needed rest for when the attack would resume in the morning. He was dreaming about tossing the Avatar to the ground in front of the Fire Lord, then getting promoted to Admiral. Just before the good part involving the Princess he was woken up by an alarm outside the ship. Zhao quickly put on his armor and ran outside to see what was going on in the middle of the night.<p>

"You have got to be kidding me!" Zhao yelled when he saw what was happening. A massive fifty foot tall monkey made out of plant matter was attacking his troops. It swatted the men away like flies, crushing the tanks and rhinos under its feet.

"**Go Away!"** the monkey said. When Zhao ordered all of his men to firebend at the monkey, but this only annoyed it. **"You're still here?"** The men panicked and ran away, leaving only Zhao behind. Then the monkey destroyed the ships that hadn't left the riverbank, and only Zhao remained with no way to leave. The monkey stepped on Zhao, and then said **"Good Riddance!"**

With the task complete the baboon spirit returned to the spirit world. The plants that had been used to create his physical form dried up and shattered, leaving Aang behind with his eyes and tattoos glowing. Then the glow faded and Aang realized that the swamp had been saved. But he was tired, and went to sleep as soon as he made it back to his friends.

_A/N: If canon can get away with Monster-Panda, Owl-Librarian, and Koizilla I really don't see anything wrong with Plant Kong. Someone should write a story where Koizilla and Plant Kong reenact Godzilla vs. King Kong._


	6. The Wrong Way

_A/N: I think it's time for a little change of pace. Let's see what Sokka's been up to since the South Pole._

Chapter 5: The Wrong Way

_How did I get into this mess?_ Sokka thought as he was running away from some earthbending celebrities, heading for the estate of some blind girl that can and has beaten all of those earthbenders before. All he wanted to do was catch up to his sister and help her protect the Avatar, but _noooooo_ the universe had other plans.

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks ago…<em>

On a canoe Sokka was pushing forward on the open seas. He had just passed through the mountain island chain that held the Southern Air Temple, and was heading for Whale Tail Island to resupply. He was almost out of food and would have to ration what he had just to make it to that island. Once he resupplied Sokka planned to go north and hopefully intercept Katara on her way to the North Pole.

But he never made it to Whale Tail Island. A patrolling Fire Navy ship had stumbled across Sokka's canoe and intercepted it. The crew took Sokka prisoner and seized what little food he still had in the canoe for themselves. In the brig Sokka overheard the guards talking about the ship heading northeast, so Sokka didn't try to escape. He may be a prisoner, but his captors were taking him in the direction he wanted to go.

The ship stopped near a village in the Earth Kingdom, where they handed Sokka over to the locals. The Fire Nation crew had more important matters than dealing with random Water Tribe prisoners and decided to let the locals handle him. The crew also left Sokka's boomerang and machete in the village as evidence for a trial. The locals threw him in with their other prisoners, who were actually very nice people. Sokka spent a day in that prison, actually enjoying the company of the other prisoners.

The next day Sokka was brought before the village to stand trial. "What am I on trial for again?" Sokka asked.

"Trespassing in Fire Nation territory without authorization," Mayor Tong answered.

"Oh that," Sokka said. "Well I had no idea where I was, so that could have been true. Can I just pay a fine or something and then be on my way?"

"Do you plead guilty?" Tong asked.

"Sure why not?" Sokka said. "Let's get this over with so I can catch up with the Avatar and protect my sister."

"Wait, the Avatar took your sister captive?" Tong asked.

"Yea..." Sokka said. "And I really need to rescue her."

"Very well then," Tong said. "As punishment for your crime, I sentence you to exile. Never return to Chin Village ever again."

"I'll be leaving now," Sokka said.

After retrieving his boomerang and machete from the village Sokka left. At a port he overheard some sailors talking going north, and stowed away on their ship. However the ship went east instead, stopping at port near Gaoling a week after Sokka got on the ship. The crew discovered Sokka stowing away on the ship and kicked him out there. They didn't notice that Sokka had stolen a handful of coins on the ship.

Sokka walked to Gaoling and browsed the market place. The money he stole from the ship wasn't much and he couldn't buy the fancy green bag that caught his attention. He needed a way to earn more money to buy stuff with, and overheard two teens talking about betting on an earthbending tournament.

"Excuse me," Sokka said. "Where is this tournament to bet on?"

"On the island of none'ya," one teen said. "None'ya business."

"Classic," Sokka said with a weak laugh. Then he took out his machete and clubbed the other teen. "Could you repeat that?"

"Take is easy man, that was just a joke," the teen said. "Earth Rumble V is under the mountain north of Gaoling. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," Sokka said.

Sokka walked to Earth Rumble V and bet his last silver piece on The Hippo, who was the main attraction tonight. The odds were in The Hippo's favor so the payout would be low, but enough for Sokka to get by. After the first few fights Sokka's bet had accumulated enough earnings to last a few days, so he cashed it in just before the championship round. The Hippo vs. The Blind Bandit.

With his earnings in his pockets Sokka watched the final round. He was glad that he cashed in early, since The Blind Bandit defeated The Hippo in under a minute. When The Hippo took a step to earthbend The Blind Bandit had moved the earth he stood on, splitting his legs apart. Then she made columns of rock to shove The Hippo out of the ring and win.

With the match over, the announcer Xin Fu jumped into the ring. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit," Xin Fu said. When no one took the offer he said "No one dares to face her?"

Suddenly the rock beneath Sokka's seat moved forward, throwing him into the ring. The crowd laughed as Sokka screamed and landed on his face. Sokka turned around and saw the teens from earlier right behind where he was sitting, smug looks on their faces.

"I guess I dare?" Sokka said. _This won't end well_ he thought.

"Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?" The Blind Bandit asked.

Xin Fu left the ring, signaling the match to begin. Toph earthbended a boulder out of the ground and threw it at Sokka. "Eep!" he yelled and dodged. The ground moved up under Sokka's foot, throwing him up and tumbling in the air. When he hit the ground a column of earth formed under him, sending him towards the edge of the ring. At the last moment Sokka took out his boomerang and used it to catch the edge of the ring and pull himself back inside. More boulders were thrown at Sokka, and he ran around the ring screaming as he dodged them.

"What kind of fighting style is that?" The Blind Bandit asked. "Is your fighting name the Fleeing Ponytail?"

"Pretty much," Sokka said. Then as a distraction he threw his boomerang, but since he was too busy running he missed. Suddenly his legs sank into the rock, sending his face straight into the floor.

"Good bye," The Blind Bandit said, about to earthbend Sokka out of the ring. She was interrupted when Sokka's boomerang came back around and the blunt end hit the back of her head. She didn't see it coming and the impact knocked her out.

The audience was shocked at this development. Sokka slowly got his legs out of the rock, took the prize money, and left. He was worried that people would get upset that he had apparently won without earthbending at all. His worries were confirmed when he was outside the arena and suddenly encased in a cone of rock leaving only his head exposed.

"That hurt a lot," The Blind Bandit said. She had recovered just after Sokka left the ring, and now had a really bad headache. It was easy for her to find Sokka thanks to her special way of seeing.

"Sorry about that," Sokka said. "I was just reacting."

"I'll let this pass if you hand over that prize money," The Blind Bandit said.

"I kind of need it," Sokka said.

"For what? A fancy new bag, an antique pipe and hat, a new sword? Hand it over, now" she said.

"I need it to find my sister," Sokka said. "She's off wandering the world and I need this money to buy supplies to catch up with her."

_He's telling the truth_ she thought. "Okay, half of the prize money and I'll let you go," she said.

"How about a quarter?" Sokka asked.

"One third," The Blind Bandit said.

"Throw in a safe place to stay for the night and I'll hand over a third of the money," Sokka haggled.

"Deal," she said. Then she removed the rock around Sokka and took a third of the prize money. Then she led Sokka to her home, and earthbended a tunnel leading to a hidden cave beneath it. "My parents wouldn't like me bringing home strangers so you'll have to stay down here."

"Better than sleeping in a canoe for a week," Sokka said. "What's your real name anyway?"

"Toph Bei Fong," she answered. "And don't you forget it Ponytail Guy."

"That's Mr. Ponytail Guy, or Sokka for short," he said.

The next morning Sokka left the cave and headed for the marketplace. He bought that green bag he saw the day before and then filled it with supplies for his trip. When he couldn't carry anymore he left Gaoling and started walking north. As he was walking out of sight from Gaoling a giant wall formed in front of him.

"Oh come on!" Sokka yelled. Then he heard the earth move behind him, and turned to find Xin Fu standing there.

"I believe you owe me some money," Xin Fu said. Then the other earthbenders from the tournament came out of the ground, ready to beat up Sokka.

"Eep!" Sokka said and ran. He had to dodge rocks thrown at him and avoid patches of earth being bended in front of him, narrowly missing the rocks and barely keeping his footing. Sokka ran straight for the only safe place he could think of, which was Toph. He was about to reach the Bei Fong Estate when he sank into the ground.

"Now where is that money?" Xin Fu asked.

Suddenly the ground holding Sokka exploded, launching him into the air and landing inside the grounds of the estate. Sokka landed on his face in front of Toph. "What did you do?" Toph asked.

"That guy from the arena wants the money back," Sokka explained.

Before they could say anymore the wall nearby was torn down with earthbending. The noise was heard by the guards, who brought Toph's parents outside. Xin Fu earthbended some boulders out of the ground and threw them at the guards to disable them, then earthbended a wall in front of Toph's parents.

"You really think you can take money from him when I'm around?" Toph yelled. "I've beaten you all before and I can do it again."

Toph shattered the ground beneath Xin Fu and the other earthbenders with him, breaking their footing. One by one Toph sunk the earthbenders into the ground, immobilizing them to prevent them from earthbending themselves out. When only Xin Fu remained Toph shattered the wall in front of her parents and sent the debris at him, the impacts knocking him out.

Toph's parents were shocked at what Toph could do. They demanded that Sokka leave, and he did to keep Toph from being in any more trouble with her parents. They also made it clear that Toph would be kept at home and watched constantly to keep her safe.

Sokka left Gaoling as fast as he could, not wanting Toph's parents to change their minds and have him arrested. When night came he set up camp near a forest just far enough away for Gaoling to be a small light on the horizon. He was about to fall asleep when the ground beneath him moved up, throwing Sokka into the air. Then he landed on his face, and got up to find Toph standing nearby.

"What did I do this time?" Sokka asked.

"You're my ticket out of this place," Toph said.

"If you're running away you don't really need me for that," Sokka said.

"Yea well at least you have a general direction in mind," Toph said. "And there's the fact that you can read a map."

"Point taken," Sokka said. "Better get some sleep. We'll have to leave early in the morning before your parents find out your gone."

"Good idea," Toph said.


	7. The Prison

_A/N: Back to the main plot with Aang..._

Chapter 6: The Prison

After the swamp had been saved from the Fire Nation, Huu recommended that Aang and his friends leave the swamp. If he stayed the Fire Nation would return to finish burning down the swamp, and it was best to leave and take the Fire Nation's attention elsewhere. Aang reluctantly agreed, since he was now on a time limit to master all four elements. While Aang hadn't fully mastered waterbending, Huu claimed that Katara had mastered it and could teach Aang herself.

It was time to find an earthbending teacher for Aang. He wanted to find one in Omashu, but when Aang and his friends arrived there on Appa they discovered it had been taken by the Fire Nation. Aang had hoped to find out what happened to his old friend Bumi, but that wasn't an option with the city occupied and Aang didn't even know if Bumi made it to 112 years old. At Suki's insistence they left to find an earthbending teacher elsewhere.

With no specific location in mind to find a teacher, Aang guided Appa along the Earth Kingdom's coastline. Suki reasoned that there would be earthbenders fighting the Fire Nation in the western Earth Kingdom, and that one of them could be a suitable teacher. So they headed north along the coast, looking for a village that would have earthbenders in it.

One morning Aang had a good feeling about finding a teacher. There were several villages nearby and they could check them out the next day. What they didn't expect was hearing someone practicing earthbending as they packed up the campsite. Aang was the first to investigate, and found a young teen with brown hair levitating some boulders in a ravine.

"Excuse me!" Aang yelled. "I need to talk with you!"

The teen panicked and ran away. As he ran he dislodged some boulders to block the ravine behind him in an attempt to prevent Aang from following. Aang unfolded his glider and flew above the boulders, then landed in front of the teen.

"What do you want?" the teen asked.

"What's your name? And where did you learn your earthbending?" Aang asked.

"I'm Haru, and I learned from my father," he said. "Now please leave, I have to go home before anyone notices I'm gone."

Aang went back to his friends and helped finish packing. When they were finished Aang, Katara, and Suki all walked to the nearest village, leaving Appa in the woods. In the village there didn't appear to be any earthbenders, except for Haru. Katara followed him into a shop that he appeared to work in with his mother. Aang and Suki quickly entered after Katara.

"Hey, why did you run away before?" Katara asked.

"Look I don't want any trouble," Haru said.

"Hey is your father here?" Aang asked. "I need an earthbending teacher."

"Don't say that around here," Haru's mother said. She closed the door and the shades on the window.

"Why not?" Aang asked.

"It's dangerous to earthbend here," she said. "The Fire Nation takes away anyone they find earthbending."

"Like my father," Haru said.

"I don't suppose you know where they are kept?" Aang asked.

"No," Haru said.

"Well there is one way we could find out," Suki said.

"How?" Haru asked.

"Well we have a sky bison," Suki said. "If someone were to get captured for earthbending we could follow and break him out."

"No I won't allow it," Haru's mother said.

"Mom it could work," Haru said.

"And what if it doesn't?" she said. "I can't afford to lose you too."

"Fine," Haru said. To Aang and his friends he said "Maybe you should leave now."

* * *

><p>That evening Aang and the others set up camp in the woods just outside the village. The trees provided sufficient cover to prevent any Fire Nation patrols from spotting them. They were about to get some sleep when they heard someone approach.<p>

"Who's there?" Aang shouted.

"It's me," Haru said as he approached. "I thought about your idea, and I want to try it."

"What about your mother?" Katara asked.

"I know she doesn't like it, but if there's any chance to save my father I have to take it," Haru said.

"Alright, we'll do it tomorrow," Suki said.

* * *

><p>In the morning Haru intercepted a patrol while Aang and the others watched. He 'accidentally' earthbended within view of the soldiers, and they arrested him. The soldiers hauled Haru onto a ship which sailed out to sea. The people on the ship never suspected that they were being followed by a sky bison.<p>

The ship took Haru to a shipyard, where he was reunited with his father in prison. Haru tried to explain the escape plan to Tyro, who refused to go along with it. The other earthbenders in prison needed him, and he wasn't going to abandon them. When night fell Haru snuck out of the prison yard to talk with Aang and the others.

"Where's your dad, it's time to go," Katara said.

"He's not coming," Haru said.

"What do you mean he's not coming?" Suki asked.

"He won't abandon everyone here," Haru said. "If we're going to do something here it's all or nothing."

"The only way we could get everyone out is if they had some earth or rock to bend," Suki said.

"This whole place is made of metal to prevent that," Haru replied.

Looking around, Aang spotted smoke coming from chimneys in the shipyard. "Look at the smoke," Aang said. "I bet their burning coal, or in other words, earth."

"If we can get the coal here the earthbenders can free themselves," Katara said.

"Let's move," Suki said.

It took an hour to find where the coal was stored in the shipyard. Aang started closing several ventilation shafts, leaving only one open which led to the prison yard. Katara and Suki waited at the end of the shaft, keeping an eye out for the guards. Haru returned to his father, trying to get him and the other earthbenders into position.

In the morning Katara and Suki were spotted by guards when they let the prisoners into the yard. As the guards closed in on them Aang made his move. He used airbending to push the coal out of the storage room, sending it out the only open shaft and into the prison yard. With the task complete he moved through the shaft and jumped out, landing on the coal and coughing up some coal dust.

"Now's our chance!" Haru yelled, taking foot on top of the coal. "We can escape together, and take back our freedom and our villages."

When none of the earthbenders responded to Haru, the warden started laughing. "Foolish boy," he said. "You really think some inspirational words and some coal will change these people."

"Yes!" Haru yelled and then earthbended a chunk of coal at the warden. The warden blocked with a fireblast, and then sent another one at Haru. Haru panicked and didn't block, but was saved when the coal formed a wall in front on him.

Tyro wasn't willing to stand idly by while his son was attacked. He created the wall of coal to save his son, then bended it forward at the guards. The coal had been set on fire, and burning pieces of it struck the guards. The firebenders blocked the attack and retaliated with several fireblasts. Tyro created another wall of coal, assisted by other earthbenders.

"For the Earth Kingdom, Attack!" Tyro yelled.

The earthbenders sent the coal forward, striking the guards and forcing them back. The guards were overwhelmed by the sudden defiance of the prisoners, and several of them ran for cover. Then Tyro and Haru condensed some coal into a boulder and threw it at the door to the yard, breaking it open. The earthbenders ran for the hole, on their way to freedom.

While most of the earthbenders headed for the ships docked with the shipyard, Tyro and Haru struck down the warden. Then they created a platform of coal under him and lifted it into the air. After moving it past the edge of the yard and over the water they let go of it, sending the warden plummeting into the ocean.

With the warden dealt with Tyro and Haru rejoined the other earthbenders and escaped on one of the ships. On that ship Haru introduced Tyro to Aang, Katara, and Suki.

"Thank you for saving us," Tyro said.

"All it took was a little coal, and your son," Katara said.

"You helped bring us back together," Tyro said. "I'm grateful."

"Hey Tyro," Aang said. "Do you think you could teach me earthbending?"

"Well I may be a little rusty," Tyro admitted. "But it would be an honor to teach the Avatar earthbending."

"Thanks," Aang said. Then he looked at Katara and noticed something missing. "Katara, where's your necklace?"

"What!" she yelled and felt for the necklace around her neck. "It's gone!"

* * *

><p>Back at the shipyard Katara's necklace was lying among the pieces of coal strewn about the prison yard. No one had picked it up, for the guards were too busy being harshly punished by the princess sent to investigate what happened. When she was finished punishing the guards Princess Azula walked into the yard to observe the scene of the prison break.<p>

_What's this?_ Azula thought when she saw a small bit of blue among the dark coal. She picked it up, recognizing the design as Water Tribe. Azula knew that there were no waterbenders held here, and that the necklace had to come from whoever helped the earthbenders escape. She pocketed the necklace and left the shipyard, knowing a way to use the necklace for her own goals.

_A/N: I didn't like Katara's speeches to the earthbenders in the episode. It seemed like something that should have been Haru's role._


	8. The Encounter

Chapter 7: The Encounter

In an old Earth Kingdom tavern, the bounty hunter known as June was having the time of her life. The locals knew this tavern was her favorite place to get a drink after a successful hunt, and June was the bartender's favorite patron. Her favorite bar game was to arm wrestle random men, and the loser would have to take a shot of the bar's strongest liquor. June was only slightly buzzed when everyone else in the bar had either passed out or given up.

Ready to call it a night, June finished her last drink and paid her tab. As June was about to leave the door to the bar burst open. She saw a teenage girl in Fire Nation armor walk through the doorway, observing the drunken men passed out in the bar.

"You just missed Happy Hour," June said.

"I'm not here for a drink," the girl said. "I'm here for you."

"Really?" June said. "I prefer to know the names of potential clients."

"Azula," she answered. That single word shut up everyone in the bar, including the drunken mumblings of the passed out patrons.

"Well it's not every day that a princess asks for humble me," June said.

"I've heard about you," Azula said. "They say you can track down anyone a continent away with just something they own."

"They say correctly," June said.

"You're going to find someone for me," Azula said. She took a Water Tribe necklace out of her pocket and held it up in front of June.

"Breakup gift from your boyfriend?" June asked.

"Cute," Azula said. "I have reason to believe the owner may be traveling with the Avatar."

"Whatever you say," June said.

"Do this little favor, and I'll make it worth your while," Azula said.

"Deal," June said.

* * *

><p>After the liberation of the earthbenders, the former prisoners freed Haru's home village from the Fire Nation. They had taken the soldiers by surprise in the middle of the night, and by morning the villagers were able to celebrate their freedom. Haru's mother was overjoyed to see her son and husband return safely. With peace in the village, the people welcomed Aang and his friends with open arms.<p>

Tyro set up a training ground outside of the village to teach Aang earthbending. It was a plain of rock resting between four large hills, hidden from view of the village. He chose this spot to give Aang some privacy while learning earthbending, safe from embarrassment. Only people Aang wanted to watch the training would be allowed to be there.

Aang, Katara, Suki, and Haru arrived at the training ground together. While Haru already knew the techniques Tyro had planned, he wanted to go through it again just to be with his dad. They found Tyro earthbending two boulders out of the ground for the first lesson.

"So what move are you going to teach me first?" Aang asked. "Rockalanche? The Trembler? Oh maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land?"

"One step at a time," Tyro said. "We'll get to those after you've learned the basics."

"Sounds good," Aang said.

"First thing for you to know is your stance," Tyro said. "You have to be steady and strong, like earth itself. To move it, you have to be just as stubborn as the rock."

"Okay got it," Aang said.

"Haru, please demonstrate by moving one of these boulders," Tyro said.

"Of course," Haru said. He stepped in front of one boulder and with a punching motion sent it sliding into a hillside.

"Now you try it," Tyro told Aang.

"I'm ready," Aang said. He repeated the moves Haru used, but instead of moving the boulder he slid backwards and into the opposite hillside.

"What went wrong?" Suki asked.

"Maybe there's another way?" Aang asked as he walked back to Tyro. "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?"

"It doesn't work that way," Tyro said. "You need to take on the bulk head on, not avoid it like a bumblebee."

"Maybe Aang should try a different technique," Haru suggested.

"Alright, instead of moving rock, try to break rock," Tyro said. "Haru, put some distance between you and Aang, then earthbend a boulder towards him."

While Haru got into position Tyro showed Aang the stance to destroy a moving boulder. When Haru was fifty feet away he earthbended a boulder out of the ground and sent it at Aang. It took a minute to reach Aang, giving him enough time to get ready to stop it. But at the last moment Aang jumped out of the boulder's path, letting it crash into the hillside behind him.

"Again," Tyro said.

"What?" Aang asked.

"Try it again," Tyro said. "If you can't break down a rock you might as well let it do a knock out on you."

"I don't think I can do it," Aang said.

"Alright, take a break until you feel like trying again," Tyro said.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Azula and June were riding the Shirshu Nyla, following Katara's scent to the Haru's home village. The beast barged through the gates of the village, taking the villagers by surprise. They weren't expecting an attack so soon after freeing the village, and didn't know how to defend against Nyla's paralyzing tongue. Within minutes everyone that tried to fight Nyla were either paralyzed or unconscious.<p>

"We're getting close," June said. She whipped Nyla to get him moving again. Following the scent, the beast ran out of the village and headed for some hills in the distance. When it reached the hills Azula spotted Tyro teaching Haru advanced earthbending with Suki watching. Aang and Katara weren't in sight.

To Tyro it was obvious that the intruders were a threat. With earthbending he raised the ground beneath himself and Haru, lifting them out of harm's way. However the beast jumped and dug its claws into the rock and started climbing it.

_Figures it's some kind of cliff jumper_ Tyro thought. He broke apart the side of the rock, sending the beast falling to the ground and sending its riders tumbling out of the saddle.

Azula got to her feet within seconds, then started shooting blue fire at Tyro and Haru. They were able to block most of the fire with rock walls. But they too distracted by Azula to notice Nyla climbing up the rock again. Once the beast reached the top it attacked with its tongue, hitting their backs and paralyzing them.

June found herself facing Suki, who was using her fans to block June's whip. Suki couldn't get close enough to attack, and could only block June's attacks. Taking a gamble, Suki threw one of her fans at June. It hit June's right hand, forcing her to drop the whip. Suki drew her katana and charged at June, swinging the katana when she got within range. June dodged the blade and grabbed Suki's wrist, then twisted it to make Suki drop the katana. Suki kicked June's legs to distract her long enough to get out of her grip, then readied herself for a fistfight.

Azula interrupted June and Suki's fight by sending a blue fireblast at Suki, forcing her to dodge. June retrieved her whip and used it to command Nyla to attack. Nyla ran towards Suki and attacked with its tongue and paralyzed Suki.

"What do want done with them?" June asked.

"Leave them," Azula said. "We still have prey to catch."

* * *

><p>At a nearby pond, Aang and Katara were practicing waterbending. Katara was wearing her bathing suit and Aang in swimming trunks. Together they moved some of the water between them, taking turns bending the water. Katara used the privacy to try to help Aang overcome his problem with earthbending.<p>

"You know this block of yours is only temporary," Katara said.

"I don't want to talk about it," Aang said.

"You do realize that's the problem don't you?" Katara asked. "If you face this issue instead of avoiding it…"

"I know," Aang interrupted, letting the water drop back into the pond. "I need to face it head on like a rock. But I just can't do it. I don't know why I can't, but I can't."

"Well earth is the opposite of air," Katara said. "You're working with your natural opposite. But I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Thanks Katara," Aang said. "I think I'm ready to give it another try."

Suddenly they heard something moving towards them. In the distance was a shirshu, running directly towards Katara. As it approached the pond Katara bended all of the water into a single large wave and sent it at the shirshu. The beast was caught in the wave and slowed to a stop, allowing Katara and Aang to view the riders.

"So this is your boyfriend," June said. "He's a little young but a few years will fix that."

Azula sent a glare at June that would have killed if it were possible. "Just have your beast attack already," she ordered.

June whipped Nyla, commanding it to attack. Katara waterbended a shield to protect herself and Aang jumped out of the tongue's way. Azula send a blue fireblast at Aang, forcing him to dodge and land right in front of Nyla. The beast charged at Aang, who used airbending to lift it up and over him. Nyla landed on its side, tossing Azula and June out of the saddle.

Katara bended some water and wrapped it around Nyla's nose, then turned it into ice. It couldn't smell through the ice, rendering it blind. It charged towards Aang and Katara, but Aang stood his ground and used airbending to push the beast back. Nyla stumbled and charged in a different direction, unable to tell where it was going.

Despite managing to deal with the shirshu, Aang and Katara could relax just yet. Azula sent twin blue fireblasts at them, which were just barely blocked with waterbended shields. "Since when is fire blue?" Katara asked.

"No clue," Aang said. Then he sent a windblast at Azula which pushed her back a few feet. She retaliated with a fireblast that Aang had to disperse with airbending. While Aang blocked Azula charged a lightning blast and fired it at Aang. He barely saw it coming in time and jumped out of the way. However Katara didn't see the lightning, having been busy avoiding June's whip. The lightning just barely grazed Katara's fingertips, sending a small portion of the energy up her left arm.

"OOOWWW!" Katara screamed. The fingers on her left hand had been burned, and her left arm was completely numb. Distracted by pain, Katara was vulnerable to June's whip, which struck her legs and brought Katara to the ground.

"KATARA!" Aang yelled. As he yelled his eyes and tattoos started to glow. In a mindless rage he shattered the ground, creating a whirlwind with rocks revolving around him. Large pieces of rock slammed into Azula and June, carrying them into the air. Then water from the pond wrapped around them, trapping them in spheres of water. Finally the water was launched away, sending them a quarter of a mile away.

With the threat gone the glow in Aang's eyes and tattoos faded. He fell to his knees, exhausted but still conscious. "Are you alright Katara?" Aang asked.

"It hurts a lot," Katara said, holding her left fingers in her right hand. She slowly walked over to a puddle of water and dipped her burned hand into it. While the pain lessened Katara was surprised to find the water glowing around her hand. It stopped after a minute, and Katara took her hand out of the water and saw that it was healed.

"How did you do that?" Aang asked.

"I don't know," Katara said. "Huu never taught this."

"Maybe he didn't know about it," Aang said.

"I guess so," Katara said. "We better get back to the others."

By the time Aang and Katara got dressed and walked back to the training ground Tyro and the others were recovering from paralysis. Everyone explained what happened to each other, including how Aang had stood his ground against the shirshu.

"I think you're ready to try again," Tyro said. "Stand your ground just like with that beast."

Aang got into position next to a boulder. He made the punching motion, and the boulder moved away from him and crashed into a hillside. "I did it!" Aang yelled.

"You're an earthbender," Tyro said.

"So what will you teach me now?" Aang asked.

"First you need to know the basics" Tyro said. "Then we can move on to make shift road block, digging like a tunnel rat after a pair of snake eyes."

"Great," Aang said.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Azula and June were recovering from their flight the Avatar sent them on. Azula's left arm was broken, as well as June's right leg. Nyla had returned to June after freeing its nose from the ice, and carried June away. Azula was slowly making her way to the nearest area controlled by the Fire Nation.<p>

_I can't let this little failure reach the Fire Lord_ Azula thought. _I'll just tell him this happened in a battle with earthbender elites. He'll believe that._ As she walked Azula examined her options to deal with the Avatar now that she couldn't do it herself. _I need a little talk with Colonel Shinu…_

__A/N: June is considered the Patron Saint of Zutara, correct? Based on that I would assume that her Beta Couple would be Azulaang.__


	9. The Freedom Fighters

_A/N: Checking in with Sokka and Toph..._

Chapter 8: The Freedom Fighters

In the middle of a forest, Sokka was looking at his map of the Earth Kingdom. Toph was sitting on the ground with her back resting against a tree, eating some leechi nuts she took from an animal trap nearby. It had been a simple task for Toph to jam the trap's mechanism with earthbended stones and then take the nuts from them.

"Are we lost yet?" Toph asked.

"Hey I know exactly where we are," Sokka said.

"I can tell you're lying," Toph said.

"That is really annoying," Sokka said. He rolled up his map and put it away. "I think we should take this path," he said while pointing northeast.

"Okay," Toph said. She got up and walked up to Sokka. Then she earthbended the ground beneath them, lifting it up and moving it forward faster than either of them could run. After moving for a hundred feet Toph stopped, sending Sokka flying forward and landing just in front of a large bush.

"What was that for?" Sokka asked.

"There's Fire Nation up ahead," Toph explained. "So are you going to fight or just let me take them all out?"

"I'll help this time," Sokka said.

"Alright then," Toph said. She earthbended a boulder out of the ground and threw it through the bush, surprising the Fire Nation soldiers camped on the other side. The boulder slammed into three solders next a campfire, surprising the rest of them.

Sokka and Toph through the bush and into the camp, ready to strike again. One soldier sent a fireblast at them, which missed and set the bush on fire, cutting off the path. Toph was about to earthbend when she heard an arrow fly through the air and strike the firebender in the back, bringing him down.

"How'd you do that?" Sokka asked.

"Wasn't me," Toph answered.

Looking up, Sokka spotted a brown haired teen with hookswords jump down from the trees and land on two soldiers, taking them out. Then he caught two more in his hookswords and threw them into other soldiers. "Down you go" the boy said. He noticed another soldier coming from behind and swung his hookswords to defeat him.

Then a small kid dropped down and landed on a soldier's head, blinding him. More soldiers were brought down by arrows being fired from above. A large teen dropped down and started clubbing soldiers with a log. Then a smaller teen jumped down and attacked more soldiers with a dagger.

Not wanting to be left out of the party, Toph threw boulders at every soldier that wasn't already disabled. Sokka tried to fight, but every soldier he tried to attack got beaten by one of the newcomers instead. Within minutes every soldier was either unconscious or running away.

With the fight over, the boy with the hookswords walked up to Sokka and Toph. "My name is Jet, and these are my freedom fighters," he said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sokka," he said. "And this is Toph."

"You know I could have handled those guys by myself," Toph said.

"Well we were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning," Jet said. "You just provided the right distraction."

"Distraction!" Toph yelled. "You stole my thunder!"

"Toph calm down," Sokka said. "No one's hurt and those soldiers are still beaten."

"Why don't I make it up to you," Jet said. "Once we're done here I can show you our hideout."

Within the hour the freedom fighters loaded everything of value from the camp onto a wagon. Everyone walked deeper into the forest where the hideout was located.

"Here we are," Jet said.

"Where? There's nothing here," Sokka said.

"Hold this," Jet said, handing Sokka a rope with a loop at the end.

"What's this do?" Sokka asked. Suddenly the rope pulled Sokka up into the branches of a tree.

"Toph," Jet said while handing another rope to her.

"No thanks," Toph said. "I think I'll stay on the ground where I can bend."

"You won't need to here," Jet said.

"Okay, how am I supposed to know when to let go of that?" Toph asked. "I can't see."

"I'll help you," Jet said. He placed Toph's arm around his shoulders and let the rope carry both of them in the tree branches. When they reached the top they landed on the wood platforms.

_Everything's all blurry up here_ Toph thought. "I think I'll stay with Sokka right now if you don't mind."

Sokka and Toph stayed with the Freedom Fighters for the night. The wood platforms distorted the vibrations Toph used to see, so she held onto Sokka's arm whenever they went anywhere in the hideout. In the morning Jet walked into the hut they used to sleep in.

"Hey Toph, can I ask you for a favor?" Jet asked.

"Do I get to beat up some bad guys?" Toph asked.

"Well not exactly," Jet said. "But it's something I need you for."

"Fine," Toph asked.

Jet took Toph and Sokka to the nearby river, upstream of a dam. Toph didn't mind the walk, glad to be back on the ground where she could see properly. She noticed the steam vents nearby as they walked along the small river.

"So what are we doing here?" Sokka asked.

"You those vents?" Jet asked. "Underground water is trying to escape through them."

"I'm an earthbender, not a waterbender," Toph said.

"True, but I thought you could clear a path for the water to get through," Jet said.

"I can do that," Toph said. She stamped a foot on the ground, earthbending the rock around a vent to widen it and clear debris inside it. Immediately hot water flowed out of the vent and drained into the river.

"Good job," Jet said. "This river empties into the reservoir. A few more of these and it will be full."

"Just a few?" Toph asked.

"Yup. I need to check things out at the reservoir," Jet said.

"We'll meet you there when Toph's done," Sokka said.

"Actually… it's probably better if you meet me back at the hideout," Jet said.

Toph waited for Jet to leave before saying anything. "Something's not right," she told Sokka.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"He hesitated for a moment," Toph said. "He's hiding something."

"Okay, let's see what's at the reservoir when you're done," Sokka said.

It only took ten minutes for Toph to earthbend enough vents to let enough water out. When that was finished they walked along the river's shore, heading downriver. They reached the dam just when the water level was approaching the top. From the top of the dam Sokka looked down and saw the other Freedom Fighters placing barrels next to the bottom.

"Is that blasting jelly?" Sokka wondered.

"Why would they need that?" Toph asked.

"There's enough there to blow up the dam," Sokka said. "And with the reservoir full that would destroy the town downriver."

"I knew Jet was hiding something," Toph said. "We're going to stop them."

Toph earthbended the rock they stood on, creating a small cliff which they moved onto. Then the slab of rock moved down, bringing them to the bottom of the dam. The Freedom Fighters saw them approaching and ran from the dam, leaving the barrels behind.

"Toph, earthbend those barrels out of here," Sokka said.

"On it," Toph said. She made a platform of earth rise from the ground beneath the barrels, and then moved the earth away from the dam and carrying the barrels with it. She had to move it slowly to keep the blasting jelly from exploding by accident.

Then they heard someone making a bird call. Looking around for the source Sokka spotted an arrow set on fire heading for them. "Toph, incoming BOOM!" Sokka yelled.

"One shield coming up," Toph said. She created a dome of rock several feet thick around herself and Sokka. The flaming arrow hit the barrels and set off the blasting jelly. The explosion was twenty feet away from the base of the dam. It broke open Toph's rock dome and damaged the base of the dam, leaving a hole ten feet wide in it.

"Not Good! Not Good!" Sokka yelled as water rushed out through the hole. He could see cracks spreading from the hole and letting more water flow out. Sokka grabbed Toph's shirt and dragged her out of the water's path, stopping at the side of the riverbed.

"That's a lot of water," Toph said.

"The dam's going to fall apart any second!" Sokka yelled. "Can you earthbend a wall large enough to contain the water?"

"I'll try," Toph said. She walked to the end of the dam and focused on the earth. She slowly raised the earth along the length of the dam, fifteen feet thick. The earth in the middle was washed away by the water until the bedrock reached the hole in the dam. As the rock slowly covered up the hole the gap between the dam and the wall quickly filled up with water and overflowed. The wall was three-quarters of the way up when the dam broke under the strain, sending water flowing over the wall.

Twenty feet of water had drained from the dam before the water line fell to the height of Toph's wall. Sokka watched the water flow towards the town, praying for it to not be enough to destroy the town. The water slowly spread out and dissipated as it moved downriver, leaving only a wave one foot high to hit the town.

"You did it Toph," Sokka said.

"What have you done!" Jet yelled from the opposite riverbank, high enough to be safe from the flood he wanted to happen. He jumped down to the bottom, hookswords drawn.

"You tried to kill us!" Toph yelled.

"I was trying to free this valley!" Jet yelled. "You got in the way!"

"Who would be free?" Sokka asked. "Everyone would be dead."

"Traitor!" Jet yelled. He ran forward to attack with his swords, but suddenly found himself trapped in a cone of rock.

"Give me one good reason to not break his head in," Toph said.

"No Toph, don't drop to his level" Sokka said.

"Fine," Toph said. "But if we ever meet you again, you'll regret it," she said to Jet.

"Let's get out of here," Sokka said.

"Good," Toph said. "I hated their hideout anyway."


	10. The Blue Spirit

Chapter 9: The Blue Spirit

In the training ground outside an Earth Kingdom village, Aang and Haru were practicing earthbending together. They would take turns throwing boulders of various shapes and sizes, while the other would create an appropriate wall to block with. Tyro watched from the side, pleased with their progress.

"I think that's enough for today," Tyro said. "You're doing very well, both of you."

"Thank you Sifu Tyro," Aang said.

Then Katara and Suki ran entered the training ground and ran up to Aang. Both were out of breath, having been in a hurry to get back to the others. "Aang, we found something you're going to want to see," Katara said.

"We were checking out another town when we found this," Suki said and held up a Fire Nation wanted poster. On it was a drawing of a girl in clothing similar to Aang's.

"Malu the Ghost Witch?" Aang read aloud. "What kind of silly name is that?"

"Keep reading," Katara said.

"Wanted for disrupting several caravans, destroying military property, and improper treatment of cabbages. Weapon of choice is a staff." Aang wondered why this mattered to him for a moment. "Why is this person important?" Aang asked.

"We asked around town about this person," Suki said. "Rumor has it that she's an airbender."

"That's impossible," Haru said. "If any airbenders survived the massacre they would have been noticed a long time ago."

"Maybe not," Aang said. "They could have gone into hiding until now. Maybe I'm not the last airbender?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Haru said.

"Well I can't ignore this," Aang said. "Are there any clues to where this person is?"

"She was last spotted north of here," Suki said. "We saw some bounty hunters interested in her, so we can follow them from the air."

"Let's go then," Aang said.

"I need to go back to the village," Tyro said. "Go with them Haru, you're more than skilled enough now."

* * *

><p>From the air on Appa it didn't take long to find the bounty hunters Suki mentioned. There were five of them riding Kimono Rhinos, clearly siding with the Fire Nation. In the evening the bounty hunters made camp near some mountains, and Appa landed far enough away to not be seen.<p>

Once they were on the ground Aang and Suki quietly walked towards the bounty hunters while Katara and Haru watched over Appa. At the edge of the camp Aang And Suki listened in on the bounty hunters' conversation over a campfire.

"Why are we doing this job again?" the man with a bow and face tattoos said. "It just doesn't seem like something you would do Mongke."

"Because we'll be getting a bonus in addition to the bounty on this one," Mongke said. "So we just do it."

"Where is this girl anyway?" a dark skinned man asked.

"My informant tells me she's hiding out in a cave along the next mountain," Mongke said. "We're going there first thing in the morning."

Having heard enough, Aang and Suki returned to the others and got back on Appa. As the sun set they flew towards the next mountain, and when they arrived they searched for a cave. One was found on the north side of the mountain and Appa landed outside it.

"I think it might be best if I go in alone," Aang said.

"Why?" Suki asked.

"I don't want her scared," Aang admitted.

"Alright," Katara said.

Aang walked inside the cave, which went deep into the mountain. There were small torches on the walls every few dozen feet, dimly lighting the cave. After walking for half an hour Aang found a campsite in the cave.

"Hello, is anyone there?" Aang asked.

Suddenly Aang heard an arrow fly through the air and impale his right shoe, just barely missing his foot but pinning the shoe to the ground. He heard more arrows being fired and airbended a shield to deflect the arrows, scattering them into the walls and ceiling. Aang pulled out the arrow in his shoe to free himself.

"I think you dropped this," Aang said with the arrow in his hand. He saw several archers step into the light of a torch deeper in the cave, each with tattoos on their faces. They fired more arrows at Aang, who earthbended a wall to block them. Dozens of arrows impacted the rock and the cumulative force broke through it.

Aang ran from the campsite and headed for the entrance of the cave. Dozens of arrows were fired at him, which Aang blocked with air and earthbending. One arrow slipped through Aang's defenses and struck his left shoe, making him trip. When he hit the floor more arrows pierced the edges of his clothing, just barely missing his skin but pinning him to the ground. For good measure a group of archers fired a net, keeping Aang immobilized.

With their prize captured, the archers bound Aang's hands and feet and blindfolded him. Then they carried him deeper in the cave, which had an exit on the other side of the mountain. From there they tossed him inside a cart and took him to a fortress further north. Inside the fortress Aang was taken to the deepest levels and placed in a metal cell, his wrists and ankles chained to prevent any movement to bend with.

The blindfold was removed by one of the archers who left the cell afterward. After being left alone for an hour the cell door opened and Azula walked inside, her left arm in a cast. "Seeing you like this really makes me wish I used the Yu Yan sooner" she said.

"What have you done with Malu?" Aang demanded.

Azula laughed at Aang's demand. "There is no Malu, there never was one," Azula said. "A false bounty about a new airbender was the perfect bait for the last of your kind. And you fell right into my trap."

Aang lowered his head, conceding the point. "So what happens to me now?" he asked.

"Don't worry, you're not going to die today," Azula said. "See if you die you'll just be reborn into the Water Tribe and I'd have to hunt you down all over again. Of course that's only if containment remains an option. If you try to escape I will kill you."

Azula turned to leave the cell. As she walked away Aang inhaled as much air as he could and then blew it all at once, hitting Azula and slamming her into the door. "Blow all the wind you want," Azula said as she got up. "It won't help you here, and your friends have no idea where you are to rescue you." She opened the door to walk out and slammed it shut behind her.

Refusing to give up Aang struggled against the chains, but they held against him. Hours passed with nothing happening in the cell. Then Aang heard something going on just outside the door, several large objects hitting the floor. The door opened and the first thing Aang saw was a blue oni mask, then noticed the person wearing it. It was a short, muscular man wearing a full black outfit, leaving none of his skin or hair visible.

The Blue Spirit walked up to Aang, the mask giving nothing away about his intentions. Then he took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the chains holding Aang. As Aang stretched his limbs The Blue Spirit walked back towards the door.

"Who are you?" Aang asked. "What's going on? Are you here to rescue me?" The Blue Spirit didn't say anything, but motioned for Aang to follow him. "I guess that's a yes."

Walking outside the cell, Aang found several guards knocked out. He could see that some of them had been beaten with their own weapons, spears laying next the unconscious bodies. Aang couldn't tell if The Blue Spirit was a bender or just really good at hand to hand combat.

The Blue Spirit led Aang through the hallways, stopping near a room with three guards. He took a small black sphere out of his pocket and threw it at the guards. It exploded and released a smokescreen, allowing him to move in and ambush them. When the smoke cleared the guards were down and The Blue Spirit was opening the door.

Inside the room were various weapons and armor, including Aang's staff. The Blue Spirit grabbed the staff and tossed it to Aang. "Thanks," Aang said. He saw The Blue Spirit place a finger over the mouth of his mask, telling Aang to be quiet. "Sorry," Aang whispered.

Together they walked through the hallways, avoiding patrolling guards and wandering officers. The Blue Spirit found an unguarded route to the inner courtyard of the fortress. Once there they stuck to the shadows, reaching the first of three walls in their way to freedom. Hanging on the wall was a rope The Blue Spirit had placed earlier, and they started climbing it.

As they climbed an alarm went off throughout the fortress. Guards that were supposed to relieve the ones guarding Aang had noticed the breakout and alerted their superiors. With the alarm sounded everyone in the fortress searched for escaping prisoners. One guard on the inner wall spotted Aang climbing a rope and cut it off, sending him and The Blue Spirit falling to the ground.

Aang created a cushion of air to soften the impact, allowing them to immediately ready themselves for a fight. He saw the gates start to close, so he earthbended a large stone brick out of the ground and threw it in the first gate and jammed it open. Soldiers moved in to remove the brick to close the gate, but were blown away by a large windblast from Aang.

With the first gate jammed open Aang and The Blue Spirit jumped over the brick and entered the middle courtyard. The next gate was already closed, and soldiers armed with spears moved into fight. Aang earthbended a few boulders out of the ground and threw them at the soldiers, hitting a few of them. The Blue Spirit let one of the soldiers get close and wrestled the spear away from the soldier and hit him with it, then struck other soldiers until the spear broke. One soldier remained nearby, which The Blue Spirit punched in the gut and then in the face to knock him out.

At the second wall Aang earthbended a column of rock, lifting himself and The Blue Spirit up to the top of the wall. There more soldiers moved in, armed with swords this time. Aang avoided the sword strikes, then used gusts of wind to blow the soldiers off the wall. The Blue Spirit also dodged attacks, kicking the guards and then throwing them off the wall.

In the outer courtyard soldiers carried ladders to the middle wall, positioning them to climb up the wall and reach the fight. Aang saw them and unfolded his glider and prepared to take off. "Grab my legs!" Aang yelled and took off. The Blue Spirit jumped and grabbed onto Aang's legs, letting him try to fly them across. Aang was barely able to keep them both in the air, and the slowly dropped and landed in the middle of the outer courtyard.

Immediately they were surrounded by soldiers, this time firebenders. Dozens of them circled around Aang and The Blue Spirit, trapping them. Aang was about to earthbend when he heard The Blue Spirit take a deep breath. Then fire emerged from the mouth of the oni mask, taking the firebenders by surprise and pushing them back.

From the top of the fortress, Azula saw The Blue Spirit breathe fire. _They've gone far enough_ she thought. With her right arm she charged a lightning blast, only getting a third of the energy that both arms normally provide. She fired it at Aang, aiming for his chest. However she saw The Blue Spirit get in the way of the lighting, and _caught_ it in his right hand. The lighting went up his arm, down to his stomach, and up his left arm which was aimed at the ground in front of a group of firebenders. The lightning hit the patch of ground and exploded, sending debris towards the firebenders and disabling them.

Aang was shocked by what The Blue Spirit was capable of, hesitating long enough for The Blue Spirit to get impatient and grab Aang's shirt to drag him towards the gate. _Escape first, ask questions later_ Aang thought and then earthbended a column of rock beneath himself and The Blue Spirit. They reached the top of the outer wall, finding archers lined up to fire arrows at them.

The Blue Spirit grabbed Aang and threw him across the wall, sending him past the other side. As Aang fell he unfolded his glider and took to the air. He turned in the air to help The Blue Spirit, finding him dodging arrows. Then The Blue Spirit saw Aang flying towards him and blew fire into Aang's path, telling him to leave.

_Alright I'm going_ Aang thought as he turned back around.

While Aang flew away from the wall he didn't see an arrow strike The Blue Spirit's mask. The mask prevented the arrow from reaching his face, but the impact was enough to knock him out. Being cautious, the archers pinned down The Blue Spirit with more arrows, and then stood guard over him until Azula arrived at the wall.

When Azula reached the outer wall she looked down on The Blue Spirit, still pinned to the floor. _Let's see who's under that mask_ she thought. Azula reached down and removed the mask, and recognized the face beneath it. "Well if it isn't his royal tea-loving kookiness himself," she said. _Uncle's lost a lot of weight._

_A/N: If your Mary Sue alarms were going off during this chapter, that was completely intentional.  
><em>


	11. The Dragon of the West

Chapter 10: The Dragon of the West

In the lowest prison cell of Pohuai Stronghold, former General Iroh was held captive. His wrists were chained behind his back and his feet chained to the floor. The chains kept Iroh far from the door, giving any visitors plenty of warning if he tried to breathe fire at anyone entering. Unless some other Blue Spirit came to the rescue, Azula was certain her uncle wouldn't be going anywhere.

When Iroh was awake the guards sent a message to Azula, which was her cue to interrogate the old man. She carried the blue oni mask in her right hand, observing the fine craftsmanship. The inside around the mouth hole had been burned by Iroh breathing fire, and there was a small nick in the forehead where one of the Yu Yan hit it with an arrow.

As Azula approached the cell the guards quickly let her inside. She found Iroh humming to himself to pass the time. "Dear uncle Iroh," Azula said. "I knew you had fallen out of father's favor a year ago, but I never expected treason this blatant."

"Until recently, I didn't think I had to," Iroh responded. "And were it not for one mistake, no one would know who released the Avatar."

"Yes, it would have been blamed on the Blue Spirit," Azula said, holding up the blue oni mask. "I'm curious why you would choose that of all disguises."

"A hasty decision I'll admit," Iroh said. "The mask was going to be a gift to your brother. The Blue Spirit was his favorite character from 'Fire's Journey'."

"Tell me uncle, why did you free the Avatar?" Azula asked.

"I want the throne," Iroh lied. "When your father took it from me I was in no condition to rule, but now I am. Helping the Avatar win would secure it for me."

"So there's still some of the great general left in you after all," Azula said. "I thought it had been lost in all that weight. Speaking of weight it seems you lost quite a bit of it."

"A man has to keep busy when sailing the seas for a year," Iroh said. "You have to find a way to keep busy, otherwise you'll go mad."

"Indeed," Azula said. "Well I'd love to stay and chat but I need to arrange a transport for a traitor. I think I'll keep this mask as a souvenir."

Azula left the cell, leaving Iroh alone. It was late and Iroh was tired, so he tried to make the chains as comfortable as possible so he could get some sleep. He dreamed about the day his brother had forced him to leave the Fire Nation.

* * *

><p><em>One year ago…<em>

"Again Prince Zuko!" Iroh ordered.

At the Fire Nation Royal Palace, General Iroh was personally training the young prince. Today's lesson was lightning generation, which Fire Lord Ozai wanted his son and heir to know as early as possible. Zuko's form was perfect and he could build a charge of lightning, but when he tried to fire it the lightning would explode in his face.

"Why can't I do it?" Zuko asked after another failed attempt.

"Creating lightning requires peace of mind," Iroh said. "There must be something troubling you."

"There is nothing troubling me!" Zuko yelled.

"Maybe a certain lady friend is on your mind," Iroh said. "I've seen the way you look at Mai."

"I just wish everyone would leave us alone," Zuko said. "Her parents expect us to get together, but how are we supposed to do that if we can't get any privacy."

"Good things come to those who wait," Iroh said. "Her father is overdue for a governor's position, which will leave their home in Mai's care."

"I see…" Zuko said with a smile.

"Take the rest of the day off," Iroh said. "Take Mai to the theatre. I believe they are performing 'Love Amongst the Dragons' tonight. And no, the Ember Island Players are not involved in any way."

"Thank Agni for that," Zuko said.

At that moment a servant walked into the room. "A summons from the Fire Lord," the servant said while handing Iroh a scroll. Iroh quickly read it and dismissed the servant.

"What does father want?" Zuko asked.

"Just a talk," Iroh said.

Iroh walked through the palace hallways to the throne room. When he entered it Iroh saw the wall of flames that concealed the Fire Lord's appearance. Iroh gave the customary bow and Ozai dismissed the flames, allowing Iroh to approach him. In front of the throne was a small table with a teapot on it, with two cups next to it.

"How is Zuko's training progressing?" Ozai asked, pouring a cup of tea for himself.

"Better than I expected," Iroh said, taking a seat and pouring his own cup. "He's gotten the technique for lightning, but needs practice before he can use it."

"I see," Ozai said, taking a sip of his tea. "Have you seen Azula's reports from the Earth Kingdom?"

"Yes, she's taken quite a bit of territory in the last few months," Iroh said, then drank some tea. "Very impressive for her age."

"Indeed," Ozai said. "Although she's found some… troubling information."

"What do you mean?" Iroh asked.

"Tell me brother, what does the White Lotus mean to you?" Ozai asked, refilling his cup.

"Someone wants to play a game of Pai Sho," Iroh answered.

"Of course, one of your hobbies," Ozai said. "You were always the better player."

"You flatter me," Iroh said.

"However that is beside the point," Ozai said. "It's been brought to my attention that there's a secret society using the White Lotus as their symbol."

"A society based on a Pai Sho tile?" Iroh said. "Surely there are more important matters to deal with?"

"Not when its members include highly skilled warriors," Ozai said.

"Where are you going with this?" Iroh asked, setting down his cup.

"You have connections all over the world," Ozai said. "Surely you know something about this society."

"I'm afraid I don't," Iroh said.

"Don't lie to me," Ozai said. "Azula found proof that you're involved in this society. Now tell me what you know."

"Nothing that would be useful to you," Iroh said.

"You're treading on treacherous ground brother," Ozai said. "Tell me what you know or suffer the consequences."

"There is nothing I can tell you," Iroh said.

"I should have you imprisoned for treason now," Ozai said. "However I'm feeling lenient today, so I am giving you a choice. You can either tell me everything now, or leave the Fire Nation until you come to your senses and give me the information."

* * *

><p><em>Present day…<em>

In the morning Iroh woke up with as much rest as he was ever going to get while chained up. Unwilling to wait for an opportunity to escape, Iroh decided to make his own opportunity. Iroh flexed his fingers, bending heat in and out of the chains binding his wrists. Heating the chains made the metal softer, while removing the heat made them more brittle. Slowly over time and plenty of pain the chains were weakened by the extremes in temperature, enough to let Iroh break them with brute force.

After freeing his hands Iroh examined his wrists. They had been burned each time he had heated the metal, enough to leave scars if left untreated. _I am not doing that again _Iroh thought as he tried to suppress the pain. With his hands free Iroh firebended at the chains holding his feet to the floor, keeping the fire going until the chains were melted.

Free from the chains, Iroh quietly walked to the cell door. He listened for the guards, trying to determine how many were watching the other side. Then he backed away from the door and placed his shirt on the floor, folded it to be as thick as possible, and stood on top of it. As quietly as he could manage Iroh charged a lightning blast and fired it at the metal floor just in front of the door.

When the lightning hit the floor it conducted through the metal, spreading in all directions. On Iroh's side of the door the lightning passed by him, singing the folded shirt. On the guard's side of the door the lightning hit their feet and went up their legs, the sudden shock from diluted lightning knocking them out. Iroh heard the bodies hit the floor, letting him know that his gamble had worked. He put his shirt back on, despite having burn holes in several places. Then he firebended at the door, melting the lock and the hinges, then forced the door open.

Iroh knew it was only a matter of time before someone realized he was trying to escape. He stuck to the shadows and moved through the fortress, trying to get as far as possible before someone sounded the alarm. When he reached the ground level of the fortress the alarms went off. Iroh went inside a small room and waited for the guards to come, and he heard a couple of them running down the hallway.

The guards ran past the room Iroh was in, not even bothering to check it. Then a dozen soldiers ran past the room, again not bothering to check it. Wondering why they weren't searching for him, Iroh resumed his escape, running through the hallways and hiding when guards and soldiers ran past. When Iroh reached the inner courtyard of the fortress he was surprised at what was going on.

The fortress had been attacked from the air. Iroh wasn't expecting to see a sky bison flying above the fortress's walls, drawing the attention of the archers. In the courtyard Iroh saw three teens he didn't recognize fighting the soldiers, and the Avatar was fighting Azula. Taking advantage of the situation, Iroh stepped out of the shadows and breathed fire into the area between the Avatar and Azula.

While Iroh continued to breathe fire, Aang turned and saw him doing it. He remembered The Blue Spirit breathing fire, and realized that the stranger with the same body shape and breathing fire had to be the same person. "That's him!" Aang shouted to his friends. "He's the firebender that rescued me."

One of the teens, a Kyoshi Warrior Iroh determined by the uniform, ran over to Iroh. "No mask? Oh well," she said. Then she saw Iroh's burned wrists. "Katara, he's injured. We have to get out of here now."

"Okay!" Katara shouted. She bended some water into several ice spikes and threw them at the archers on the wall, hitting their bows and breaking them into pieces. This gave the sky bison an opening to land, allowing the Kyoshi Warrior to help Iroh get into the bison's saddle. While they climbed another teen created a wall around the bison to shield it from firebenders. Once Iroh was in the saddle the other teens got on.

"Appa Yip Yip!" Aang shouted. The bison took off, avoiding fireblasts sent from below. Within minutes it was outside the range of fireblasts and arrows, allowing the riders to relax. Katara saw the burns on Iroh's wrists and immediately got started healing them with waterbending.

"Why did you come back here?" Iroh asked while Katara worked.

"You got caught rescuing me," Aang said. "I had to return the favor."

"Thank you," Iroh said.

"I'm also going to need a firebending teacher," Aang said. "I saw you breathing fire and thought you could teach me."

"There are other firebending teachers not in prison," Iroh said.

"But you're the only one we know for certain is not going to kill Aang," Katara said. "Who are you anyway?"

"That's not important," Iroh said. "I know someone else that can teach firebending."

"Why can't you do it?" the earthbender asked.

"I'm needed elsewhere," Iroh said. "Head north of here until you reach one of the Fire Nation colonies. In the forests near it there's a deserter from the army. Jeong Jeong is a master firebender and I recommend you learn from him. When you meet him tell him that the White Lotus sends his regards."

"White Lotus, got it," Aang said.

"Good, now could you please drop me off near the shore," Iroh asked.

"Okay," Aang said.

* * *

><p>Back at the fortress, Azula was furious. First the Avatar had escaped her grasp, and now Iroh as well. It was humiliating to experience failure twice in as many days. She couldn't afford to let it happen again, or she would have to face the Fire Lord's punishment.<p>

_Maybe a break from hunting the Avatar will do me some good_ Azula thought. _Wait for my arm to heal and examine where I went wrong, then fix the problem._ While sitting back in the fortress's command center, Azula studied Iroh's blue oni mask and the Water Tribe necklace she still had. _Maybe these could be useful?_


	12. The Surprise at the Pole

Chapter 11: The Surprise at the Pole

"Ok Sokka, this was annoying at first but it's really starting to freak me out now," Toph complained.

Toph and Sokka were currently drifting on the seas north of the Earth Kingdom in a stolen canoe. Sokka was paddling the canoe while Toph sat in the middle. Around Toph were piles of rocks for her to bend with, just in case something happened while at sea. The rocks were the only objects Toph could see clearly, the wood of the canoe was blurry and the water splashing against the canoe was a swirling mess of chaotic vibrations. Toph had thrown up several times on the first day at sea, and the second day wasn't feeling any better.

"This is only until we find the Northern Water Tribe," Sokka said.

"Well if we don't find them soon I'm making you turn this boat around!" Toph yelled.

"You can't even tell which way we came from!" Sokka yelled back.

"Why are we even going to the North Pole again?" Toph asked.

"Katara and Aang need to learn waterbending, and the North Pole is the only place to do it," Sokka explained. "How many times do I need to say it?"

"We better get there soon or the next time I throw up it will be on you," Toph threatened.

Suddenly the water in front of the canoe turned to ice, freezing a path headed straight for it. When the ice hit the canoe it spread around it, bringing the canoe to a sudden stop. From behind icebergs Sokka saw several small ships move into view, each with a half dozen men in blue furs on them.

"Waterbenders," Sokka said. "We found the Water Tribe."

"Just peachy," Toph said and then threw up over the side of the canoe.

One of the boats stopped next to the canoe, the waterbenders on board surprised to find two children alone in their waters. It was obvious they weren't a threat, since the girl was clearly seasick. "Who are you children?" one of the waterbenders asked.

"Sokka, Southern Water Tribe," he introduced himself. "Can I talk to whoever handles tourists?"

"Come with us," the waterbender said. He melted the ice around the canoe and then ordered the boats to escort Sokka and Toph to the North Pole. Propelling the canoe and the boats with waterbending allowed them to reach the city within the hour.

Once inside the ice wall that protected the city, Sokka took in the sights as the canoe moved through the city's canals. "This place is beautiful," Sokka said.

"Shut it," Toph said, trying to make her stomach cooperate.

When they reached the palace the waterbenders were ready to bring Sokka and Toph inside. They tried to force Toph to put some boots on to protect her feet from the cold, but she refused. Instead she took some of the rocks from the canoe and earthbended them into stone shoes. Her feet were still cold, but kept off the ice to prevent frostbite. Before walking into the palace Toph earthbended the remaining rocks into a single large stone, which she dragged with her into the palace.

Inside the palace they found a man with black hair standing in front of a small waterfall. "Greetings, I am Chief Arnook," he said. "It is a pleasure to meet someone from our sister tribe for the first time in many years."

"Wait, the _First_ time?" Sokka said. "What about my sister?"

"Who?" Arnook said.

"My sister, Katara, was supposed to be here," Sokka said.

"Well then it would appear that you got here first," Arnook said.

"That's impossible," Sokka said. "She's travelling with the Avatar on a Sky Bison. There's no way we were faster than that."

"Does this mean we can leave now?" Toph asked.

"No it doesn't," Sokka replied.

"Did you say she's with the Avatar?" Arnook asked.

"Yes," Sokka answered. "They were both coming here to learn waterbending, and they should have beaten us here by at least a couple of weeks."

"I don't have an explanation for you," Arnook said. "In any case please stay at least a few days to recover from your journey. Tonight we're having a feast for my daughter's birthday, so please enjoy yourself."

* * *

><p>That night Sokka and Toph accepted the offer to attend the feast. They were allowed to sit at the head table in the palace, to Arnook's left. Toph had earthbended her rocks into a stone mat wide enough for five people to sit on, providing her with a small island of clear sight. The ice past the stone made the people standing on it appear blurry and vague, but clear enough to tell where people were nearby.<p>

Once everyone at the feast had food placed in front of them, Chief Arnook stood up to speak. "Tonight we celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age."

Sokka watched Princess Yue walk in, finding her white hair strange yet beautiful at the same time. He listened when she spoke. "Thank you father. May the great Ocean and Moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times."

Once Yue was finished, Arnook spoke again. "We also celebrate the arrival of our brother from the southern tribe. And with him comes the arrival of new hope. The Avatar has returned to the world to light our darkest hour."

The crowd cheered at the announcement of the good news while Yue took a seat next to Sokka. "Hi there, Sokka, Southern Water Tribe," he introduced himself to her.

"Very nice to meet you," Yue replied.

"So you're a princess," Sokka said. "You know, back in my tribe I'm kind of like a prince myself."

"Prince of getting his butt whooped," Toph interrupted.

"Hey I'm trying to have a conversation here," Sokka said.

"My apologies, Prince Ponytail," Toph said.

Ignoring Toph, Sokka turned back to Yue. "I don't know how long I'm going to be in town. Maybe you could show me the sights?"

"Sure," Yue said.

* * *

><p>The next morning Sokka and Yue met outside the palace. Together they climbed into a canoe and wandered the canals throughout the city, drifting from one place to another with no real destination in mind. They simply enjoyed each other's company, comparing the similarities and differences between their respective tribes.<p>

"So they don't have palaces in the southern tribe?" Yue asked.

"I grew up in a block of ice," Sokka said. "It's not exactly a cultural hub."

Yue laughed, then noticed they were drifting towards the ice wall of the city. "You should see the view from up there," Yue said while pointing at the wall.

Sokka stopped the boat next to the ice so that he and Yue could climb out. They walked the rest of the way to the wall and climbed up the stairs to the top. There were waterbenders patrolling the wall, but they let Sokka and Yue walk by.

"It really is a sight," Sokka said, looking out to sea. The ocean stretched beyond the eye could see, endless blue dotted with white icebergs. While enjoying the view it started to snow.

"Sometimes I come up here just to watch the ocean," Yue said. "Watching the tides rise and fall, it helps me relax."

"All I need to relax is a piece of seal jerky," Sokka said.

"Okay…" Yue said. She looked into Sokka's eyes and he looked back. In bliss their faces moved closer together. They were about to kiss when a snowflake landed in Yue's eye, startling her and interrupted the moment. "Ow, that stings," she said while rubbing her eye.

"Was something in… that… snow..." Sokka stopped talking when he saw black snow falling from the sky. "Oh no…"

"What's happening?" Yue asked.

"Soot," Sokka said. "Its soot mixed with snow."

"What does it mean?" Yue asked.

"I've seen it before," Sokka said. "Right before my village was attacked. The Fire Nation is closing in on the North Pole. And from the looks of this, I'd say there's a lot of them."

"We need to get back to the palace," Yue said. "It's not safe here."

Immediately Sokka and Yue hurried back to the palace. Inside they found Chief Arnook already speaking with Master Pakku about the impending invasion. Toph was off to the side, sitting on a chair she made with her rocks.

"Thank you Sokka for bringing Yue back safely," Arnook said when they arrived.

"Sokka, we're leaving," Toph said. "Now!"

"Since when do you run from a fight," Sokka said.

"I can't fight here," Toph said. "Apart from this little rock there's no earth for me to bend. Once that's gone I have nothing to fight with."

"Running isn't an option," Sokka said. "The only way out is out to sea, right in the path of the Fire Nation."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Toph asked. "Just sit back and while everyone else fights?"

"I'm not saying that," Sokka said. Thinking for a moment Sokka came up with an idea. "There's no earth _here_, but what if we brought you to the earth."

Toph smiled. "I like where you're going with this," she said. "But how would we do that?"

"We need someone to bend away the ice and water between us and the ground," Sokka explained. "We'll need a master waterbender for this.

_Five minutes later…_

"No," Master Pakku said.

"Why not?" Sokka asked. "This could work."

"You misunderstand," Pakku said. "In our tribe it is forbidden for women to fight."

"Then there's no problem," Toph said. "I'm not part of your tribe, I already know how to fight, and this plan would give your tribe a massive advantage. The Fire Nation won't be expecting an earthbender here, especially not the greatest earthbender in the world."

"A big boast from a little girl," Pakku said. "So far I'm not impressed."

"Get me to the earth and I'll prove it to you," Toph said.

"Fine, I'll indulge your request," Pakku said. "Meet me at the wall in an hour."

Sokka and Toph immediately went to the ice wall and waited for Pakku to arrive. By the time he did several of the Fire Navy ships could be seen just in front of the horizon. There was one ship in front of the others, apparently leading the invasion. Pakku saw the ship in the front, and bended some ice into a spyglass to observe the ship in greater detail.

"What is it Master Pakku?" Sokka asked.

"Take a look at the lead ship," Pakku said, handing Sokka the ice spyglass.

Through the spyglass Sokka could see that the lead ship had gold markings on it. Standing at the brow of the ship was a teenager in gold trimmed armor, hair bound in a long ponytail with a Fire Nation headpiece at the base. Though Sokka couldn't make them out, the teen's amber eyes stared back at the ice wall.

"If I had to guess, that ship belongs to Fire Nation royalty," Sokka said. "They're going all out if they're willing to risk losing a prince."

"Then we better get started," Pakku said.

_A/N: Who is this invader? Will the Siege play out differently? Can Sokka make a difference? These questions will be answered... Right Now. Prince Zuko, Of Course, and Oh My Noooo..._

_Sokka: Wait What?_


	13. The Siege of the North: Part 1

_A/N: This one was becoming longer than I expected, so I'm splitting it into two parts._

Chapter 12: The Siege of the North: Part 1

Prince Zuko stood on the brow of his personal warship, watching the Northern Water Tribe come into view on the horizon. His ship was leading the fleet, and would soon be in position to begin the attack. This was Zuko's chance to prove his honor in battle, to prove that he was worthy of being the crown prince of the Fire Nation.

Sitting near the ship's cabin were two old women, watching the young prince. Zuko had wanted to leave Li and Lo behind, but his father had insisted that they accompany Zuko. _With any luck some waterbender will get rid of them for me _Zuko thought.

"Prince Zuko, are you sure it is wise to be on the lead ship?" Li asked.

"It will surely be destroyed, and us along with it," Lo said.

"I have my reasons," Zuko replied. "Tell the fleet to stop just outside the catapult's range. This ship will stop halfway between the fleet and the Water Tribe."

* * *

><p>On the ice wall Sokka watched the lead ship approach while the rest of the fleet remained behind. Behind the wall were Toph and Pakku, ready to literally change the playing field. Pakku waterbended the ice nearby into a hollow sphere around himself and Toph, then melted the ice beneath it. The sphere sank into the water, sending Pakku and Toph towards the seafloor.<p>

With the plan in motion Sokka focused his attention on the Fire Navy fleet. He still had the ice spyglass Pakku made, and watched the lead ship move further ahead than the rest of the fleet. To Sokka's surprise the ship raised a black flag, signaling a desire to parley.

_What kind of trickery is this?_ Sokka thought. The waterbenders on the wall whispered to each other, wondering what to do now. Sokka walked up to a group of warriors. "Excuse me, who would I talk to about accepting parley from that ship?"

A warrior with dark hair stepped forward. "That would be me, Hahn," he said. "And why would you care if we accept parley or not?"

"I don't," Sokka said. "Regardless of what they want to say it will buy us some time."

"Alright, if you want to go to the Fire Navy ship then be my guest," Hahn said. "Try not to die."

Within minutes Sokka boarded a small boat with two waterbenders and three warriors. They cautiously sailed towards the lead Fire Navy ship, waiting for any treachery. When the boat reached the ship the waterbenders raised the water beneath it, bringing the boat up to the deck of the ship. Once the boat was level with the ship's deck the waterbenders froze the water to keep the boat in position. Sokka climbed out of the boat first and his eye's met those of Prince Zuko.

"The Water Tribe sends a teenager to negotiate?" Zuko questioned.

"You're one to talk," Sokka said.

"I'm the prince, what's your excuse?" Zuko asked.

"Well I'm sort of the closest thing we got to a prince," Sokka replied. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I'm willing to discuss the terms of your surrender," Zuko said.

"You're kidding right?" Sokka asked.

"No I am not," Zuko said. "As you can see my fleet is ready to destroy your tribe and everyone in it. If you surrender now we can avoid unnecessary casualties."

"You could have just stayed home and leave the Water Tribe alone," Sokka said. "That would avoid unnecessary casualties."

"Defiant, as I expected," Zuko said. "I will not make this offer again. Your tribe can fight, but your people will lose."

"This isn't some little Earth Kingdom village you can just march into," Sokka said.

"Indeed," Zuko said. "Well then if you're so determined to fight you better get back to your forces. Under the rules of parley I'll let you leave unharmed."

_Well that bought us about half an hour_ Sokka thought as he turned towards the boat. While he climbed into the boat the warriors watched for an attack, but the soldiers on the ship let them leave. _Toph should be ready any minute now_ Sokka thought as the waterbenders lowered the boat back to the ocean.

On the ship Zuko watched the boat move back towards the ice wall. He never expected the Water Tribe to surrender, merely using the parley to get his ship closer to the ice wall without being attacked. Zuko calmed his mind, preparing himself for his next move.

"What now Prince Zuko?" Li asked.

"Shall we begin the attack?" Lo asked.

"One moment," Zuko said. _Peace of mind…_ Zuko thought and moved his arms in a circular pattern. Energy crackled around his fingertips, building up a charge of lightning. He extended his arm towards the ice wall, firing lightning at it. The lightning struck the wall and exploded, creating a breach in the wall wide enough for a warship to pass through.

Zuko heard slow clapping coming from the door to the ship's cabin. Turning towards the cabin Zuko saw a teenage girl in dark red clothes standing in the doorway, toying with a knife in her hand. "You finally did it," she said.

"I had you to inspire me, Mai," Zuko said.

"Really?" Mai said. "It seemed kind of bright for my taste."

"Flirt after the attack," Li interrupted.

"Romance can wait," Lo said.

"Fine, begin the… attack…" Zuko was cut off when he saw cracks appear in the ice wall, spreading from the breach his lightning had created. Pieces of ice broke off and crashed into the sea as the entire wall began to crumble. Zuko could see warriors fall off the wall as it collapsed beneath their feet, requiring the waterbenders to rescue them from drowning.

The entire wall collapsed into the sea, revealing the city made of ice. When Zuko signaled the ships to advance the water where the wall used to be began to swell upward. Something beneath the surface was moving and displacing the water. Zuko's ship was pushed back as water flowed away from the city, bringing it back to the advancing fleet. Suddenly the water burst open, revealing a wall of rock slowly rising to replace the ice wall.

"They have EARTHBENDERS!" Zuko yelled. He watched the wall of rock rise just behind where the ice wall used to be. Grabbing a spyglass Zuko observed the top of the new wall in detail, finding an old man and a little girl on it. "Fire Everything, bring down that wall," Zuko ordered.

* * *

><p>On the top of the new wall, Toph fell on her back, exhausted from her greatest earthbending feat yet. She was glad to be back on solid earth, even if she had to raise it from the seafloor. Pakku stood nearby, refusing to show his amazement at Toph's work. He observed the Fire Nation fleet, examining how the new wall would change how the battle would proceed.<p>

"Are you ready?" Pakka asked.

"Give me a moment," Toph said, out of breath. "I'm just going to lay down here for a few minutes."

"You don't have a few minutes," Pakku said. He saw the Fire Nation ships fire their catapults, throwing large fireballs at the new wall. Several fireballs hit the wall, leaving craters and shaking the wall with each impact.

"Just five more minutes…" Toph groaned.

"You wanted to fight, now get to it," Pakku said.

Toph stood up and stretched her arms and legs. Throwing her arms forward she earthbended the front of the wall, shattering a foot of it and sending the pieces flying towards the fleet. Unable to see where the ships were, Toph scattered them in a wide pattern. Most of the rock projectiles fell into the sea, while others punctured the hulls of ships caught in the wide pattern. Dozens of ships were hit and started to sink, their crews bailing out.

The ships behind the barrage of rock increased their speed. They moved forward, ignoring Toph's next barrage of rock and letting the ships be damaged. Several ships sank, but others reached the wall at ramming speed and crashed into it. Several impacts from abandoned ships left large cracks in the wall. It was too much for Toph to repair while attacking the fleet. The wall started to crumble and fall backward, forcing everyone behind the wall to flee as it came crashing down.

As the wall fell Toph earthbended the rock around her into sand to cushion her fall. After surviving the fall she earthbended the sand back into rock in time to feel the vibrations of ships ramming through the remains of the wall's foundation, entering the harbor. The front of the ships opened, deploying a stairway for soldiers to charge into the harbor.

Stumbling through the rubble of rocks, Sokka ran towards his friend. "Toph! Are you alright?" he called out.

"So much for plan A," Toph said. "Got a plan B?"

"Working on it," Sokka said. "Can you bend all this rock into a form to take with you?"

"Not all of it," Toph said.

"Okay. Take as much as you can and make some kind of armor out of it," Sokka suggested.

"Got it," Toph said. She earthbended the surrounding rocks into a large sphere around herself. Then the sphere was earthbended into a shape resembling a twenty foot tall Golem, with a small slit at the mouth to let Toph breathe.

"Now Toph, ROCK SMASH!" Sokka commanded.

The Golem walked towards the soldiers rushing into the harbor, catching them unprepared for it. Toph swung the Golem's arms around, striking soldiers and tossing them into the water. Firebenders attempted to blast the golem, but only scorched the surface of it. The Golem struck back, charging at them and tossing them aside.

From the ships dozens of tanks were deployed. One of the tanks rammed into the Golem, pushing it back several feet before stopping. The Golem grabbed the tracks of the tank that hit it, lifted the tank into the air and threw it at another tank, destroying both tanks. More tanks attempted to bring down the Golem, but each one was smashed by it instead.

* * *

><p>On Zuko's personal warship, the Prince was observing the battle. His ship had stayed behind during the earth barrage and ramming of the wall, waiting for his fleet to establish a foothold before getting involved personally. Through a spyglass he saw the Golem fighting soldiers and tanks, inflicting more casualties than Zuko expected.<p>

"Bring this ship in," Zuko ordered.

"Prince Zuko, we should wait," Li said.

"For the harbor to be secured," Lo said.

"It won't be secured if I don't deal with that earthbender personally," Zuko explained. "Bring us in."

"You heard the Prince," Mai said.

The ship moved forward and entered the harbor, stopping at the ice. The front of the ship opened on its hinges, creating a path for Zuko to walk on. He walked to the end of the metal path and then charged a lightning blast. Zuko fired the lightning at the Golem and hit it in the shoulder. The lightning exploded, blowing off the Golem's arm, shattering the chest section and sending Toph tumbling out and onto the ice.

"What hit me?" Toph muttered as she lay on the ice.

"You fought well," Zuko said. "Die with honor."

As Zuko was about to send a fireblast at Toph, Sokka charged at the Prince with his machete in hand. As Zuko's fire emerged from his fist Sokka got in the way, shielding his face with his arms. He charged through the flames, not caring that his left arm was being burned as he swung the machete. The weapon struck Zuko's arm, deflecting the worst of the fireblast. Sokka swung his machete again, hitting Zuko's chest and knocking him to the ground.

With the adrenaline wearing off Sokka felt the pain in his burned arm. Holding his machete in his right hand, Sokka was about to bring it down on Zuko's head when a knife hit his right hand, forcing him to drop his weapon. He looked forward and saw Mai standing nearby, ready to throw another knife at Sokka.

"Back off," Mai said. She threw three knives at Sokka which hit his burned arm, the pain bringing him to his knees. Mai slowly walked forward to finish Sokka and get her boyfriend to safety, but was interrupted when a water tribe warrior with dark hair got between her and Sokka.

"Hahn?" Sokka questioned.

"Take your girl and go!" Hahn ordered. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."

"But what about…"

"GO!" Hahn yelled.

Sokka hurried to Toph, who was barely getting up. "Is it time for plan C?" she asked.

"Yea, run!" Sokka yelled. He grabbed Toph's arm and pulled her away from the battle, heading for the palace and its healers.

Hahn watched Sokka and Toph leave while keeping an eye on Mai. She grabbed Zuko and dragged him away, letting other soldiers take their place. "The Fire Nation must be stopped, no matter the cost!" Hahn said to himself.

Hahn charged at the soldiers, dodging their weapons while striking with his spear, aiming for crippling blows instead of killing ones. Several soldiers had been disabled when the firebenders moved in. He dodged their fireblasts as best he could, the flames grazing his uniform as he struck down the firebenders. Two soldiers rushed in and brought down their swords, which Hahn had to block with the side of his spear. The swords cut into the spear before Hahn broke the lock and hit the soldiers with the spear hard enough to break it into pieces.

Then a fireblast hit Hahn's back, badly burning him. Using adrenaline to ignore the pain Hahn grabbed the blade end of his broken spear and threw it at the firebender, hitting him in the head and bringing him down. More firebenders moved in, which Hahn had to defeat with punches and kicks, taking burns with each firebender defeated. With over a dozen bodies on the ground Hahn collapsed from exhaustion, too weak to block the last firebender that remained nearby. The last thing Hahn saw was the firebender's fist releasing fire directly at Hahn's face.

_A/N: Even for a minor character, Hahn's canon death was really pathetic. This is much better, and for those of you who want music for that scene I recommend The Touch by Stan Bush. Hahn's last words should have automatically played the song for readers familiar with Transformers G1._


	14. The Siege of the North: Part 2

Chapter 13: The Siege of the North: Part 2

Sokka wasn't sure how he made it back to the palace alive. All he remembered was endless running, pulling Toph behind him. Both of them passed out when they reached the healers, who were busy treating the injured warriors. Healer Yugoda treated Sokka's left arm and right hand, bringing him back to full strength in time for him to wake up.

"What happened?" Sokka said as he got up.

"You're alright," Yugoda said. "You've been out for a few hours. You're safe now, for the moment."

Looking around, Sokka saw Toph asleep on a bed. "How's Toph?" he asked.

"Your friend is fine," Yugoda said. "She's exhausted and needs rest."

"Alright," Sokka said. He walked out of the room and out of the palace, noticing that it was nearly sundown. He found Princess Yue watching the battle.

"Sokka, you're awake," Yue said when she saw Sokka walk towards her.

"Yue, what did I miss," Sokka asked.

"They've taken the lower half of the city, and they aren't slowing down for nightfall," Yue said. "I don't know if we can stop them."

"Won't we have the advantage at night?" Sokka asked.

"Yes, tonight is a full moon," Yue said. "Pakku and the other waterbenders can drive them back."

"I wish there was something we could do to help," Sokka said. "If only we had some more earth for Toph to bend."

"Is that all?" Yue asked. "Get Toph and meet me behind the palace."

* * *

><p>Behind the Fire Nation lines, Prince Zuko observed the battle while Mai tended to the bruises left by Sokka. Behind him were Li and Lo, who were watching the sun slowly set. Zuko ordered his forces to press forward, not stopping for the night.<p>

"Prince Zuko, this is foolish," Li said.

"We must secure our position now," Lo said.

"Before the waterbenders draw power," Li said.

"From the moon rising tonight," Lo said.

"I'm well aware of the moon problem," Zuko said. "And it won't be a problem for long."

"There is nothing we," Li said.

"Can do about the moon," Lo said.

Zuko was getting frustrated with those two questioning his orders. "Tread lightly, or you may find yourselves at the front of the assault, without a squad!"

Li and Lo shut up, bringing a small smile to Zuko's face as he turned away from them. Mai was amused, but didn't show it. "So what do you plan to do about this?" she asked.

"I did my research," Zuko said. "Tonight is _the _night to attack."

Zuko watched his forces continue to battle the Water Tribe. Fresh soldiers and firebenders were deployed to relieve the ones currently fighting, keeping the attack strong as the sun set and the moon rose. The strength of the firebenders weakened without the sun while the waterbenders increased their power with the moon. Zuko saw one waterbender create a pillar of swirling water, defeating soldiers with ease.

After an hour the Water Tribe started to push back the Fire Nation. Mai could see the warriors working their way back towards the harbor. "If you have something planned, maybe you should do it now?" she asked.

"Wait for it…" Zuko said.

"Wait for what?" Mai asked.

"That," Zuko said and pointed at the full moon. The edge of the moon was fading, turning dark and slowly spreading across the face of the moon.

"Is that…?" Mai asked.

"A lunar eclipse," Zuko said. "The Earth is moving between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow over the moon. Within the hour the moon will be blocked out and the waterbenders will be powerless."

"A cunning strategy," Li said.

"Worthy of a Prince," Lo said.

_Now they agree with me…_ Zuko thought. "Bring me a kimono rhino," he ordered. "When the eclipse becomes total I will destroy their palace myself."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Sokka and a very tired Toph were walking behind the palace to meet Yue. The princess was standing at a low wall, near a wooden door. She opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Sokka and Toph. Inside was a long pool of water with an island in the back, with plants and a shrine on it next to a small pond. Everyone crossed one of the bridges and Toph was first to step foot on the grass.<p>

"This is so much better than wearing rock boots," Toph said. She dropped on her back, enjoying being back on solid ground.

"Why didn't you tell us there was natural earth here?" Sokka asked.

"You never asked," Yue answered. Sokka slapped his forehead, which made Yue giggle a little bit.

"Why is it so warm here too?" Toph asked.

"The spirit oasis the center of all spiritual energy in our land," Yue said.

Sokka walked up to the pond, noticing the two koi fish swimming in it. The white one with a black spot seemed to be drifting towards the bottom of the pool, as if it were about to take a nap. "Yue, is it right to take earth from a spiritual place?" Sokka asked.

"I would wait until it becomes necessary," Yue said. "There are paths from here that lead away from the city, and Toph could guard an evacuation from here."

"That sounds like a good backup plan," Sokka said.

"Hey you guys," Toph interrupted. "Why is there a fish on the bottom of the pool?"

"What?" Yue said. She looked at the pool and found the white koi fish resting in the pool with the black koi fish swimming around it. "I've never seen it do that before."

Then Sokka and Yue noticed that the light in the oasis was dimming. They looked up and saw the moon slowly turning dark, a shadow covering a third of the moon. "Ocean and Moon, Not Now!" Yue cried out.

"What's going on?" Toph asked.

"The moon is going dark," Sokka said.

"It's the Night of Red Moon," Yue said.

"They knew," Sokka said. "The Fire Nation knew this would happen tonight."

"Could someone explain to me how bad this is going to be?" Toph asked.

"Every few years the full moon turns dark, and when the last of the moon's light vanishes the entire moon turns red," Yue explained. "During that time, waterbending doesn't work."

"Judging by how big the shadow is now, I'd say we have less than half an hour of waterbending left," Sokka said.

"We need to get everyone out of the city in that time," Yue said.

As if on cue, the low wall between the oasis and the palace melted away. Chief Arnook stood at the entrance with waterbenders behind him. They were escorting children and wounded into the oasis and started leading them into the paths behind it. Arnook walked onto the grass next to his daughter.

"Yue, I want you to lead the evacuation," Arnook ordered. "Get them out of here and to the emergency boats to the east."

"What about you?" Yue said.

"I will stay until the last of our people make it out," Arnook said. Then he turned to Sokka and Toph. "I have a request to make of you Toph. During this eclipse you will be the only person on our side that can bend. I must ask you to hold the line here for as long as you can."

Toph nodded, despite knowing that Arnook was essentially asking her to die for the people. She earthbended new paths through the oasis to help the evacuation move faster. Sokka stayed at her side, boomerang in hand. He saw Arnook walk back to the palace to wait for everyone to flee the city with his daughter leading the way out.

During the evacuation the waterbenders focused on covering the escape. Their power was dwindling with the moonlight, allowing the firebenders to push forward. One by one they lost their bending, those naturally weaker than others losing it first. When there was only a sliver of moonlight left, only Master Pakku could still bend, but at the level of an amateur. With the last of his power Pakku created a low ice wall to cover the switch between waterbenders and warriors.

As the last of the moonlight faded away, the moon turned red. The lunar eclipse had reached totality, crippling the defenses of the Water Tribe. The Fire Nation overwhelmed the remaining warriors, swarming through the evacuated city. Individual soldiers wanted to loot the city, but Prince Zuko had given strict orders to wait until after the city had been taken.

Just behind the Fire Nation lines, Prince Zuko was on a kimono rhino. He reached the soldiers and took point, personally sending fireblasts at the retreating warriors. He had to make every second count, for the eclipse would not last forever. At best he estimated that there was an hour before the waterbenders would regain their power and push him back.

After ten minutes most of the city had been overrun. Zuko's rhino was climbing the steps to the palace, closing in on his victory. He stopped at the top of the steps and observed the craftsmanship of the palace made of ice. Before he could begin destroying the palace the doors opened and Chief Arnook walked out to face the invader.

"You must be the leader," Zuko said. "Is this your idea of a last stand?"

"I'm willing to discuss the terms of our surrender," Arnook said.

"It's too late for that," Zuko said. "And it's obvious you're stalling for time."

Zuko sent a wide fireblast at Arnook, hitting him even as Arnook tried to dodge him. With Arnook on the ground in pain Zuko fired a larger fireblast to finish him off. Then Zuko turned his attention to the palace and sent a continuous stream of fire at it, melting the palace from top to bottom. It took several minutes for Zuko's fire to melt the entire palace, and when he was finished Zuko saw the last few stragglers fleeing the city.

_So that's where all the people fled to_ Zuko thought. He made his rhino move forward, pushing through the melted remains of the palace and headed for the spirit oasis. The beast stopped at the water and Zuko dismounted. With a wide stream of fire Zuko heated the water until it evaporated, leaving a dry path to reach the oasis. As he walked he saw Toph and Sokka waiting as the last few people ran for the paths behind the oasis.

"You again Sparky," Toph said as she felt Zuko approach.

"Yes it is, and this must be one of those heroic sacrifices you see all the time in stories," Zuko said.

"You first," Toph said. She earthbended a large block of stone from the edge of the oasis and threw it at Zuko. Before he could dodge Toph made the stone shatter, sending pieces of it flying in every direction. Zuko had to cover his face with his arms while pieces of stone hit his armor.

In retaliation Zuko sent several fireblasts at Toph, which she blocked with an earth shield. She pulled the shield out of the ground and threw it at Zuko, who jumped onto it and then kicked off it, landing on one of the bridges to the oasis. He sent a fireblast at the ground near Toph, setting the grass on fire to burn the entire thing.

"He's after your feet!" Sokka yelled.

"Not anymore," Toph said. She used some earth to reform the boots that protected her feet from the cold, which would now protect them from the heat. Then she took more earth and shaped it around herself, creating suit of armor to protect the rest of her body. Throwing her arms forward Toph launched the earth covering her fists, which hit Zuko in the chest and threw him back to the ice.

Getting impatient, Zuko charged a lightning blast. He fired it directly at Toph, who heard it coming and created an earth wall to block it. The lightning hit the wall and exploded, showing Toph with debris and making her stumble backward. Pressing his advantage Zuko firebended with his feet and launched himself into the oasis. He rammed into Toph with his armor, breaking through hers and knocking her out in the impact.

"Toph!" Sokka yelled. With his boomerang Sokka charged at Zuko, swinging it like a club. Zuko blocked the sharp side of the boomerang with the armor on his arm. Not wanting to waste any firebending on Sokka, Zuko kicked his leg to bring Sokka down to his knees. With a kick to the gut Zuko forced Sokka away from him.

"Well this was diverting," Zuko said. "But this ending was inevitable." Looking at the pool of water Zuko saw the black koi fish still swimming around the white koi fish at the bottom. _Those aren't any ordinary fish_ Zuko thought, noticing the unusual swimming behavior. Then the white koi started moving, slowly rising from the bottom of the pool.

Suddenly the red glow on the moon faded to black and the edge of the moon turned white again. _Too Soon!_ Zuko thought as he looked at the moon, realizing that the eclipse was ending. Then Zuko heard ice behind the oasis turning into water, and Zuko turned to see an old man riding the water down and into the oasis.

"Pakku!" Sokka cried out, clutching his stomach.

Zuko charged a lightning blast and fired it at Pakku, who pulled water from the ice to block. The lightning hit the water and dispersed harmlessly. Pakku threw the water at Zuko with enough force to throw him out of the oasis. Zuko recovered in time to watch Pakku surround himself, Sokka, and Toph with water and lift them out of the oasis.

With his enemies gone, Zuko walked back into the oasis. He watched the koi fish swim around each other, seemingly unaware of the fight that happened around them. Zuko waited there until Mai arrived with several soldiers.

"What happened here?" Mai asked.

"That earthbender was here," Zuko said. "The people of the city have escaped."

"Should we go after them?" Mai asked.

"No," Zuko said. "The terrain is treacherous, and with the eclipse over it would be suicide to pursue them now."

"So what comes next? The spoils of war?" Mai asked.

"That can wait, there's something strange about this place," Zuko said. To one of the soldiers he said "Bring the engineers in here. I want this area sealed off."

_A/N: If the Fire Nation can predict when a comet with a 100-year cycle will arrive to the day then it should be trivially easy for them to predict when eclipses are going to occur. And since Zhao's dead I figured his artificial eclipse (killing the moon spirit) should be replaced with a natural eclipse._

_Oh, and The Bad Guy Wins. I find that a story is better when that happens every so often to keep the villains a credible threat._


	15. The Deserter

_A/N: Sorry about the hiatus __on this story. I didn't have a plan for this one when the plot bunnies took over for another story, which is now finished.__ Now I've got an idea for where I want this story to go, at least until Ba Sing Se. Since the last chapter ended on the cartoon's season 1 finale, let's consider this season 2 for this story._

_Now back to Aang's plot, we've been away from him long enough._

Chapter 14: The Deserter

During the Night of Red Moon, Aang and Katara hadn't been able to sleep. Losing her bending for an hour had been terrifying for Katara, being completely helpless. Aang couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had happened, and that he had failed again as the Avatar. They were fortunate that they hadn't been attacked during that night, despite being so close to a Fire Nation colony.

In the morning, Suki was concerned about Katara. "Are you okay?" Suki asked.

"Oh I'm just peachy," Katara said, throwing her arms up. "That was just the worst night of my entire life, of course I'm okay!"

"At least we made it through the night without trouble," Haru said.

"We should get moving," Aang said. "I doubt the Fire Nation wasted the opportunity they had last night."

"Of course, you still need to learn firebending," Katara said.

After a moment Suki realized something. "You know, it just occurred to me," Suki said.

"What?" Aang asked.

"We're _still _looking for Jeong Jeong," Suki said.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"Well it feels like we're been looking for like, eight months," Suki commented.

"But it's only been a week," Haru said.

"I know!" Suki complained.

Since they were near a Fire Nation colony, they stuck to the ground instead of flying on Appa. Walking down a path they reached a crossroads with a stone pillar in the middle. Several posters were displayed on it, including a map. Everyone walked up to it to see if anything interesting had been posted on it.

"Hey, look at this," Haru said. He was examining several wanted posters.

"A poster of me," Aang said. Then he tore it off the wall and stuffed it into his shirt.

"Not that one," Haru said. He tore off another poster and handed it to Aang.

Aang looked at the poster, finding a drawing of an old man with a pair of scars along one of his eyes. The writing on the poster identified him as Jeong Jeong, a deserter from the army. "Hey this is the guy the old man told us to find," Aang commented. "At least this proves he isn't with the Fire Nation."

"He's probably in hiding too, judging by the reward amount on this," Katara said.

"So how are we going to find him?" Aang asked.

"We could head for the nearest town and ask around," Suki suggested.

Before he could turn to leave, Haru heard the bushes rustling. Suspicious, Haru earthbended the ground beneath the bushes, making a column of earth rise from beneath the plant. He unknowingly catapulted a man out of the bushes, sending him crashing down in front of Aang. "A spy!" Haru yelled.

"No no," the main denied, pulling back the hood he wore. "My name is Chey, and I'm just a sentry for the local rebels."

"And why should we believe you?" Suki asked. "You don't look like you're from the Earth Kingdom."

"That's because I'm not," Chey said. "I deserted from the Fire Nation army two years ago, following in the footsteps of the Great Jeong Jeong."

"Jeong Jeong!" Aang yelled. He stepped up to Chey. "Do you know where he is?"

"Of course," Chey answered. "He's my idol."

With Chey leading the way, he brought Aang and the others to a rebel camp. Along the way they met more rebels, who weren't pleased about Chey bringing the Avatar there. They arrived at the camp an hour before sunset, and Aang could see Jeong Jeong standing between his hut and a river. Aang walked over to Jeong Jeong, stopping only a few feet away from him.

"So you have been looking for me," Jeong Jeong said.

"Yes, I need a firebending teacher," Aang said.

For a moment, Jeong Jeong studied Aang. He noticed how Aang's arms were relaxed but ready to flow with any motion. And that Aang's legs were firmly planted on the ground, steady and stable. "I see you've already started water and earthbending," Jeong Jeong stated.

"How did you know?" Aang asked.

"There are signs to look for among benders," Jeong Jeong said. "But you have not mastered either element. You are not ready for firebending."

"Please! I have to learn," Aang said.

"No, I will not teach you," Jeong Jeong said and turned away from Aang.

"I was told to tell you that the White Lotus sends his regards," Aang said.

Immediately Jeong Jeong turned back towards Aang and stared at him. "Who told you to say that?" he demanded.

"He wouldn't give me his name, but was an old man that could breathe fire," Aang described. "He told me that you would teach me."

Jeong Jeong started chuckling, confusing Aang. "You have no idea who he is," Jeong Jeong said. "The old man is the Fire Lord's brother."

"What!" Aang yelled.

"General Iroh is a grandmaster in the Order of the White Lotus," Jeone Jeong explained.

"But, why would he help me?" Aang asked. "My job is to defeat the Fire Lord before Sozin's Comet arrives."

"Exactly," Jeong Jeong said. "Iroh knows the damage his brother will cause with the Comet's power, and wishes to avert that catastrophe. You are the best tool to achieve that end."

"So will you teach me or not?" Aang asked.

Jeong Jeong closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about his options. When he opened them he said "Show me how much you've learned of the other disciplines, and we'll work from there."

"That's great!" Aang shouted.

Over the course of an hour Aang demonstrated the skill he had with three different elements. Jeong Jeong was satisfied with Aang's airbending after only a few minutes, lacking a standard to compare him to or a master to teach him more. When Aang displayed the swampbender style Jeong Jeong found it unconventional, but acceptable since the enemy wouldn't be expecting it. Earthbending showed Aang's weakest fighting style, being the most recent and opposite of Aang's native element.

During the afternoon Jeong Jeong tried to teach Aang discipline before starting with firebending. First was concentration in a simple stance, which started to frustrate Aang. Second was controlled breathing, which Aang didn't understand why he needed it. Third was the leaf burning exercise, which started to annoy Aang.

"Why do we need to go so slowly?" Aang asked when his leaf was halfway burned.

"Learning firebending is different from the other elements," Jeong Jeong explained. "Without a bender's will Air will rise up, Water will flow down, and Earth will remain where it is. But Fire will grow and consume until nothing is left."

At that moment the fire on Aang's leaf reached the edges, forcing him to let go of it. "Um, can I have another leaf please?" Aang asked.

In a few seconds Jeong Jeong had another leaf burning in the center and gave it to Aang. "Fire is alive, like a wild beast consuming everything in its path," Jeong Jeong explained. "But like any wild beast, it can be domesticated, controlled, for the betterment of humanity. But you must have the will to control it, or it will consume you."

"I'll try," Aang said. He continued to practice with the burning leaves, each one lasting longer than the previous one.

Jeong Jeong waited until Aang could keep a leaf burning for an hour, which burnt away as the sun set below the horizon. "I have a new task for you in the morning," Jeong Jeong said.

"Great," Aang said.

After a full night's rest Jeong Jeong prepared Aang for the next task. He had Aang go through the previous exercises first as a warm up. When the sun rose over the trees Jeong Jeong stepped up to Aang with a fire lit in his hand.

"Take this flame and keep it burning in between your hands," Jeong Jeong instructed. After handing the flame over he pointed to a mountain behind the camp. "Once you have it steady, climb to the peak without extinguishing the flame."

At first Aang struggled to keep the flame a constant size. His efforts to keep the flame alive made it swell, nearly spilling out of his hands. Trying to keep it contained Aang shrank the flame but nearly extinguished it. Over an hour the flame grew and shrank as Aang tried to keep it under control. Eventually Aang stabilized the flame enough to carry it up the mountain. He reached the peak at noon, where Jeong Jeong waited for him next to a fire pit.

"What now?" Aang asked, still holding the flame in his hands.

"Now you will use the flame you carry," Jeong Jeong said. He stepped away from the fire pit, which already had logs and tinder in it. "Light the campfire."

Aang stepped over to the fire pit and aimed his hands at the logs. He clenched his fists and the flame shot forward into the fire pit. After a few seconds Aang stopped his bending, expecting to have a normal campfire in front of him. Instead the flames dissipated and only ash remained in the fire pit.

"Too aggressive," Jeong Jeong commented. He pointed towards a stack of logs nearby. "Refill the fire pit and try again."

It took Aang several tries to light the campfire without burning up the fuel in the fireblasts. Just before sunset Aang could use just enough fire to light the fuel without burning it up too quickly. When Aang had the campfire going properly his belly started to rumble, which told Jeong Jeong it was time for supper. Using the campfire Aang started, Jeong Jeong cooked a small meal of potatoes he had stored on the mountain.

After eating his fill Aang watched Jeong Jeong finish his meal. "How long have you been living out here?" Aang asked.

"Six years," Jeong Jeong answered.

"What made you quit the army?" Aang asked.

Jeong Jeong looked to the east, towards the place that changed everything for him. "I left when my brightest student perished in this pointless war."

"Oh," Aang said.

For a moment Jeong Jeong wondered what might have been if his best student had lived. "He could have been Fire Lord by now, Lu Ten."

"Who's Lu Ten?" Aang asked.

"Iroh's only child, the last of the true bloodline of Fire Lords," Jeong Jeong answered. "He died in the siege of Ba Sing Se."

"You taught a prince?" Aang questioned.

"Iroh was planning to step down after a few years as Fire Lord, and hand the throne to the next generation," Jeong Jeong muttered, remembering what his old friend once told him. "But there's nothing anyone can do about it now."

Once Jeong Jeong finished his meal he brought Aang back to the camp. They rested for the night and would resume instruction the next day. In the morning Jeong Jeong had Aang repeat all of the previous exercises. Before noon Aang had carried another flame up the mountain and lit the campfire at the peak.

Jeong Jeong started teaching Aang offensive firebending at the mountain's peak, away from any vegetation that could be burned by accident. At first they covered basic fireblasts, Jeong Jeong showing the technique and then waiting for Aang to perform it correctly. Then Aang learned how to create firewhips and how to deflect enemy firebending.

After learning how to create a wall of fire Jeong Jeong let him take a short break. "Hey I have a question," Aang said.

"What?" Jeong Jeong asked.

"How do you make blue fire?" Aang asked.

"I don't know," Jeong Jeong admitted. "Only prodigies attempt it, and few achieve it."

"Aww," Aang complained. "I wanted to throw it back into that girl's face."

"You've fought someone with blue fire?" Jeong Jeong asked.

"Yea, and she's still out there somewhere," Aang said.

"Don't bother trying to create blue fire," Jeong Jeong recommended. "While I'm certain you could do it, being the Avatar, it would require too much of your efforts that you need to master the other elements."

"I see," Aang said.

"There is still much more for you to learn," Jeong Jeong said. Then they resumed the lessons, practicing all the way to sunset.

_A/N: Only reason Aang didn't learn firebending from Jeong Jeong in canon was because Zhao showed up.__ Since he's dead there's no reason to interrupt Aang's firebending training now._


	16. The Northern Air Temple

Chapter 15: The Northern Air Temple

After three weeks of training with Jeong Jeong, Aang believed he had a decent grasp of firebending. Jeong Jeong would have liked more time to refine Aang's technique, but practicality demanded otherwise. The Fire Nation army was closing in on the rebel camp, and Jeong Jeong needed to relocate it before the army could destroy it.

The entire camp was packed within a day, and many of the rebels had left to scout new locations to take it. Those who remained watched Aang take the next step in being the Avatar. Today Aang wanted to bend all four elements simultaneously.

Next to the river Aang stood alone. Once he felt he was ready Aang started by bending a gust of air upriver. Then he bent a wave of water across the river and a barrage of rocks away from the river. Finally he bent a stream of fire downriver, completing the set of four elements. From the sidelines Aang's friends saw all four elements in motion and gave applause as he finished.

"That was great," Katara said as she walked up to Aang.

"Awesome," Haru said, right behind Katara.

"And you've got plenty of time left to defeat the Fire Lord," Suki said.

Jeong Jeong walked up to Aang as the remaining rebels started to leave. "When your mission is over, come find me," Jeong Jeong suggested. "You still have much to learn."

"I will," Aang said with a bow.

Aang and his friends got on Appa and took to the air as Jeong Jeong left with the remaining rebels. They flew away from the old camp with no particular direction in mind, following the natural winds to let Appa fly with little effort. With no set destination in mind Aang let Appa choose where he wanted to go while he talked with his friends.

"So now that I've learned all four elements, what do we do now?" Aang asked.

"You don't know?" Haru asked.

"All Roku told me was that I have to defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes," Aang said. "He never told me how I'm supposed to do that other than learning the four elements."

"First we'd have to get you to the Fire Lord," Suki said. "That's going to be tricky, what with the army and navy in the way."

"Not to mention that crazy blue fire girl trying to kill you," Katara said.

"There is one way we could make this a lot easier," Haru said.

"What do you have in mind?" Aang asked.

"We fly straight for Ba Sing Se and get the Earth King to loan us his army," Haru suggested. "With you leading the charge that army could march straight to the heart of the Fire Nation and win the war."

"Do we have the time to fly there?" Suki asked.

"Plenty," Haru said. "And if we fly along the northern coastline we should reach Ba Sing Se with little hassle from the Fire Nation."

"Hey, we can stop by the Northern Air Temple on the way," Aang said. "That should be a safe place from the Fire Nation to set up camp."

* * *

><p>Inside one of the Fire Nation's new tank-trains Azula practiced her firebending forms while it sped across the Earth Kingdom. Her broken arm had finally healed and Azula wanted to get it back into shape after a month in a cast. For the moment Azula knew she would have to favor her right arm in combat until she could recondition her left arm.<p>

After practicing the movements for a firewhip Azula stood in the center of the compartment. She lit a flame in both of her hands and observed them for a moment. The flame in her right hand was bright blue, while the flame in her left was slightly smaller and was blue with bits of red in it. Irritated with the weaker flame Azula extinguished them, then walked into the next compartment.

Inside the next compartment the Fire Nation's head of research and development, Minister Qin. "How much longer until we arrive?" Azula asked.

"A few more hours," Qin said, relaxing in his seat. "We're heading far off the beaten path, and it takes a while to get to places around here."

"Even with this machine of yours?" Azula asked, gesturing to the walls of the tank-train.

"Without it the trip would take a week," Qin answered. "Just sit back and relax until we reach our destination."

"This Mechanist of yours had better have something I can use," Azula said.

* * *

><p>Aang had been expecting the Air Temple to be just as empty as the one he used to live in, and was shocked to find that new people had taken residence inside. At first he thought they might have been airbenders, but the motions of the gliders they used were enough to disprove the thought. To prove the point to his friends Aang got on his glider and competed with the first person he saw, a boy in a chair with a glider attached. After showing off moves that were only possible with airbending Aang landed in the temple grounds followed by the boy.<p>

Once his glider was separated from his wheelchair, Teo introduced himself to Aang and his friends. He gave them the tour of the temple, not realizing how the machinery inside disturbed Aang. When Katara explained to Teo what the problem was he brought them to the old gathering space outside. It appeared untouched, until a wrecking ball punched through the wall from the other side. Already angry, the introduction to the Mechanist responsible did not go well. Aang destroyed the wrecking ball used and nearly blew the Mechanist off the mountain before his friends could stop him.

After calming down Aang let the Mechanist explain why he and his people were living at the temple. They were all refugees after a flood several years ago, and the Mechanist found the temple and it appeared to be a suitable place to relocate. Using abandoned Air Nomad staffs as a template the Mechanist had recreated the glider, and by extension a new life in the air for his people.

Aang tried to explain why tampering with the temple was wrong, but the philosophical debate with the Mechanist went nowhere. Teo tried to defuse the situation by offering to show Aang a part of the temple that could not have been changed, being behind a door that only airbending could unlock. Appreciating the gesture, Aang eventually decided to open it for Teo. He wished he hadn't, finding the air sanctuary filled with weapons for the Fire Nation.

The Mechanist arrived at the air sanctuary moments after Aang opened it, having an alarm system set up inside. Aang was furious with him. "How could you do this?" Aang demanded.

"Explain all of this, now!" Teo demanded.

"It was about a year after we moved here," the Mechanist said. He explained how the Fire Nation threatened to destroy the settlement if he didn't cooperate. When Teo refused to look his father in the eyes the Mechanist left for his study.

Refusing to let the desecration of the sanctuary continue, Aang set the weapons aflame. Keeping the flames in check with firebending Aang kept the walls from being burned, and he put out the fire after the red balloon inside was the last to burn. Once nothing remained in the sanctuary Aang left with Teo to the Mechanist's study. Aang's friends were elsewhere bartering for supplies among the locals, expecting a hasty departure.

"When are they coming?" Aang demanded when he entered the study.

"Soon," the Mechanist admitted, looking at one of his marked candles. "Very soon."

"You can't give them more weapons" Aang said.

"If I don't give them what they want they will destroy this place," the Mechanist argued.

"I won't let that happen," Aang said.

Before anyone could say more a bell rang in the study, alarming the Mechanist. "You need to leave," he said.

"We're not leaving," Teo said.

"Then hide," the Mechanist said. He pushed Teo's wheelchair behind one of his larger inventions, and Aang hid behind it as well. Then the Mechanist pulled on a rope to activate a lift hidden beneath the floor, opening a trapdoor and raising the platform below. The lift was slower than usual, giving the Mechanist enough time to throw a curtain over his son and Aang.

Aang couldn't see who entered the study, but only heard a man's voice. "You know better than to keep me waiting."

"The lift wasn't built for two," the Mechanist said, trying to stall. "May I ask who the lovely lady is?"

"Trust me, you're better off not knowing," the man said. "Now give us what you owe."

"I'd like to inspect the toys first," a young girl's voice said.

Immediately Aang recognized the voice, and blew the curtain away. He blew wind at Azula and Minister Qin, trying to slam them into the wall. The attack succeeded against Qin, but Azula reacted fast enough to hold her ground. She threw a handful of blue fireblasts at Aang, but was surprised to find him extinguishing them instead of dodging.

"Did my old uncle teach you that trick?" Azula asked, waiting for Aang to strike back.

"Your uncle?" Aang questioned. He was about to ask if she was Jeong Jeong's niece, but then he remembered that she couldn't possibly know who taught him firebending.

"The old man that busted you out of prison," Azula answered.

The vague description was just enough to remind Aang who that person was, that the Blue Spirit was in fact General Iroh. "Wait a minute, you're royalty?" Aang asked.

"Took you long enough to figure that out," Azula said.

With a gust of wind towards himself Aang pulled the study door open, then turned the wind around to push Teo and the Mechanist out the door and slam it shut behind them. Azula threw fire at Aang while he bent the wind, but Aang saw it coming and blocked by deflecting the flames into the ceiling. Throwing his own fire Aang struck back, hitting a bookshelf as Azula dodged.

As Azula stepped behind a desk Aang leaped across the study to Qin. The minister was trying to fake unconsciousness after Aang's initial attack, preferring to stay out of a fight if he could help it. His efforts proved meaningless as Aang grabbed Qin, using one arm to restrain him and the other to hold a small flame at the minister's neck.

"Stop, I have a hostage!" Aang shouted.

"Why, so you do," Azula said. She threw a blue fireblast anyway, hitting Qin's left shoulder.

A quick scream and a spasm later, Qin was dropped onto the floor. "YOU SHOT ME!" Qin yelled, his right hand holding the burned left arm in place.

"You shot him?" Aang muttered, horrified that his bluff had backfired. "He was one of your own!"

"Next time, try using someone that's not expendable," Azula suggested. She kicked the desk in front of her towards Aang, then set it on fire. While Aang was stopping the burning desk Azula threw fire at the rope that controlled the lift in the floor. In seconds the rope burned enough to snap and release the lift, sending its platform plummeting beneath the floor.

Aang put out the fires in time to see Azula jump into the hole in the floor, hearing her drag her limbs along the sides of the shaft to control her descent. He almost followed, but stopped when blue flames shot up into the study, which also set the sides of the shaft on fire. By the time Aang got the flames under control Azula was gone.

With the main enemy gone Aang turned his attention to Qin, who had fallen unconscious after yelling at Azula earlier. The burn in his shoulder was bad, and Aang judged that it would kill Qin if he didn't receive immediate medical attention. Despite being Fire Nation and his enemy, Aang felt that he owed it to Qin to get him help, being partially responsible for the injury.

Quickly Aang opened the door and found only Teo in the hallway. The Mechanist had left to find Aang's friends and get them to help. By the time Aang dragged Qin out of the ruined study the Mechanist returned with Katara and Haru, both of which were surprised to see Aang helping someone from the Fire Nation.

"Katara, I could use some help here," Aang said, setting Qin down next to the door and gesturing to the burn.

"What happened in there?" Katara asked, already applying water to Qin's burn and starting to heal it.

"Crazy blue fire girl," Aang answered. "Turns out she's a royal pain in my backside."

"Did she do this?" Haru asked, looking at burn Katara was healing.

Aang looked away for a few seconds. "Not one of my better moments," he said.

Before the conversation could continue, the Mechanist saw what was left of his study. Nearly everything in it had been damaged to some extent. "My work!" he cried out. "It's all ruined!"

_A/N: I condensed a lot of the episode earlier because I didn't want to waste time going over something that wasn't very different from the canon._


	17. The Treasure Scroll

_A/N: And now we shall see what happens to Sokka and Toph after leaving the North Pole._

Chapter 16: The Treasure Scroll

At the bow of a large wooden boat, Sokka stared at the open sea in front of him. Dotting the blue waters were dozens of similar boats, all carrying refugees from the Northern Water Tribe. They were sailing south, planning to reunite with their sister tribe at the South Pole. It was Master Pakku's idea to join the south, for neither tribe could survive the war alone anymore.

For the first time since leaving his home, Sokka didn't know where to go. His sister was still out there somewhere, and must have found another place to learn waterbending. It was the only explanation for why she never arrived at the North Pole. Sokka thought about returning home with the refugees, but the thought of facing Gran Gran without finding Katara was unacceptable.

While lost in thought Sokka didn't notice Yue walking up to him from behind. She was wearing thinner clothes, unaccustomed to the heat south of her home. "What's on your mind?" Yue asked.

Sokka turned and looked at Yue. "Just wondering what I'm supposed to do next," he answered. "How's Toph holding up today?"

"Sleeping, finally," Yue answered. She gestured to the stairs leading below deck. "She's getting worse Sokka."

With a sigh Sokka closed his eyes. For the weeks the boats had been slowly sailing Toph had been seasick the entire time, and none of the tribe's remedies were helping. Barely keeping any food down and rarely falling asleep, Toph was a liability on the voyage. Sokka knew that the cause of Toph's seasickness had to be the way she saw with vibrations, which were too chaotic in the open sea.

"We need to make landfall, and soon," Sokka said. "Toph's been away from the earth too long."

Over the following day the single boat changed course, heading for Earth Kingdom shores. Master Pakku was aboard the boat, using waterbending to propel the boat faster. In the next morning the boat found land, though Sokka didn't know if it was under the control of the Fire Nation. When the land was still on the horizon with the rising sun Pakku stopped his bending to let the boat drift to the shore.

Finding Sokka still on deck, Pakku walked up to him. "Sokka, will you keep something for me?" Pakku asked.

"Sure, anything," Sokka answered. Holding out his hand Sokka watched Pakku pull a small blue vial out of his pocket and placed it in Sokka's hand. "What is it?" Sokka asked.

"Water from the Spirit Oasis," Pakku answered. "It's said to have mystical powers."

"Shouldn't Yue have this?" Sokka asked, offering the vial back to Pakku.

"Perhaps," Pakku said, looking away. "But I feel that you have earned the responsibility of safeguarding this important relic. Until we can reclaim our home."

Looking at the vial Sokka found a small string attached to it. "Thank you, Master Pakku," Sokka said and tied the string around his neck, then tucked the vial under his shirt.

* * *

><p>Once she was back on dry land, Toph immediately began to recover. She slept for a whole day on a slab of stone, subconsciously bending it to fit her body. When she woke up she ate enough food to surprise even Sokka, depleting their food stores in the process. Yue's boat had already moved on, leaving Sokka and Toph on their own.<p>

"Where do we go now?" Toph asked while sitting on a rock.

Rummaging through his green bag, Sokka was checking the supplies he had. "First we need some supplies," he answered. "And we're going to need more money to get them."

"Money I can get," Toph said, standing up. "Just point me to the nearest town."

Checking a map, Sokka found a port village not far from their location. He pointed Toph in the right direction and she carried them both on a wave of earth. Following the coast south they arrived at the village in mid-morning, stopping the earth wave just outside view of the locals. Walking the rest of the way Sokka and Toph entered the village without attracting attention.

After exploring the village for an hour Toph got to work earning coin. Instead of actually earning the money she found various games of chance, pretended to be a vulnerable little blind girl, and used earthbending to cheat. Conning the con artists several times brought in several times the amount money that could be earned legitimately.

Not content to let Toph have all the fun, Sokka got in on the con act. After buying a fake beard and guard uniform he played the role of a guard catching a carriage 'run over' a little girl, taking bribes to let the owner of the carriage off the hook. Before long Sokka had all the coin he could carry, and decided that it was time to spend some of it.

Still wearing the fake beard and fake guard uniform, Sokka walked along the docks with Toph. Several ships were in port, trading with the locals while the tides kept them from leaving. Sokka wanted to shop there to avoid anyone they might have conned earlier. Outside one particular ship was a mustached man in yellow and green clothes trying to attract customers.

"Earth Nation, Fire Nation, Water Nation, so long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here. Don't be shy, come on by."

Stroking the fake beard Sokka noticed the stranger. "Let's see what they have in there," he said to Toph.

Inside the ship were several shelves of merchandise on display. Toph found a strange monkey statue with rubies in it and considered buying it, but didn't want to go through the trouble of carrying it around. Sokka examined a case of scrolls, casually unrolling one and finding instructions for waterbending techniques on it. He put the scroll back in the case and continued browsing.

"Find anything you like?" a new voice asked. Standing in a doorway was the ship's captain, a middle aged man in reddish brown clothes with a reptile-bird on his shoulder. His hair was gray and mostly covered by a wide hat.

"You've got a really wide selection here," Sokka commented.

The reptile-bird leapt off the captain's shoulder onto one of the shelves. "Our line of work takes us all over the world," the captain said. "Why just a month ago I salvaged some quality items down south."

"Hey Sokka, you should get this," Toph said. She picked up a sword and started swinging it around. "Definitely an upgrade from that club you've got."

Alarmed, the captain sprinted over to Toph. "Careful with that, you'll hurt someone," the captain said. After getting Toph to stop he said "Wait until after you purchase it."

While the captain was distracted Sokka picked up another scroll, one with a Fire Nation brand on the ends. Unrolling the scroll the contents immediately had Sokka's full attention. On it were a set of directions, various methods of finding a specific location. The scroll didn't say what was at that location, but the thorough directions were enough to tell Sokka that something very important must be there.

Rolling up the scroll, Sokka turned towards the captain. "Say, where did you get this?" he asked.

Placing a sword back on a weapon stand, the captain faced Sokka. "I got that from a wreck by the swamp down south," he answered. "Lots of salvage work down there since the Avatar destroyed a Fire Nation fleet there."

_So that's where Katara went _Sokka thought. "What was the Avatar doing in a swamp?" Sokka asked.

"No idea," the captain admitted. "He was already gone when I arrived."

The statement ended any thoughts of finding Katara at the swamp. Turning his thoughts back to the present Sokka asked "How much for the scroll?"

"Five hundred gold pieces," the captain said.

Sokka placed his green bag on a table and started counting the coin he had inside. Five hundred gold pieces was most of what he had, leaving just enough left to purchase supplies. Buying the scroll was a gamble, though Sokka figured he and Toph could just con more coin later. Once his count was finished Sokka pushed the pile of coins towards the captain.

"Here you go, five hundred," Sokka said.

"Scroll's yours," the captain said, accepting the coin. "Is there anything else you'd like to purchase?"

"How about that sword for Sokka?" Toph suggested.

"Like I'd ever hit anything with one of those," Sokka said, stuffing the scroll into his green bag. "No I think we're done here."

"Come back anytime," the captain said.

Sokka and Toph exited the ship and walked away from it. They were only a few dozen away when Sokka noticed a crowd walking towards them. When they got closer Sokka could swear that he spotted them carrying torches and pitchforks, though why they'd have torches in broad daylight he had no idea. He didn't want to ask them, quickly guessing that they were after him and Toph.

One person in the crowd spotted Sokka spotting the crowd, noticing the beard. "There they are, the Runaways!" he yelled.

"Oh crap," Sokka muttered. He grabbed Toph's arm and started running, pulling her along.

Now a full blown mob, the people in it chased Sokka and Toph. Leading the way Sokka took Toph through the village streets, trying to lose the mob. After a few twists and turns they ended up in the marketplace, but the mob still followed. Merchants saw the mob and instinctively tried to pull their stands out of the way, expecting at least one of them to get destroyed.

Toph stopped for a moment to bend the ground beneath a few stands and move them into the mob's path, then hit the ground to make a dust cloud emerge from it. The mob hurried through the dust cloud, everyone refusing to let the little thieves get away. One vegetable stand was hit and destroyed, stopping a few people while the rest continued.

As the dust cloud settled a humble merchant of cabbage looked for his stand, expecting to find it in pieces. To his surprise the cabbage stand was completely intact, and someone else's stand was destroyed.

"MY RADISHES!" a woman merchant screamed.

The humble cabbage merchant walked over to the radish merchant and placed a hand on her shoulder while offering a cabbage. "I know your pain."

The mob continued to chase Sokka and Toph, now running in the residential district. Spotting them turn at a small house into another street the mob hurried to follow. They caught up with the bearded boy and tackled him to the ground, along with the woman next to him. With their quarry captured they started beating up the couple and searching for the money they conned.

"What is the meaning of this?" the boy questioned, the beard coming off. "My father is the mayor."

* * *

><p>Beneath the village in an earthbended tunnel Sokka was laughing with Toph. He knew he was going to miss the fake beard, but losing it was worth it to distract the mob. Toph made the tunnel extend out of the village, allowing them to make a clean getaway. They stayed in the tunnel for about a mile before surfacing, then used one of Toph's earth waves to leave faster.<p>

"I think it's safe to say we can't come back here again," Toph said.

"Yeah, we kinda got carried away with the cons," Sokka said. Then he reached into his green bag and pulled out the scroll he purchased.

"So what's on that thing anyway?" Toph asked.

Sokka unrolled the scroll and examined it more thoroughly than he had at the ship. There were constellations displayed, physical landmarks described, travel times by foot, ostrich-horse, and Fire Nation tank. And yet it didn't say what was at the location it described, just how to get there. Whatever was there Sokka believed that the writer of the scroll only wanted himself to be able to find it, and that the way was difficult to memorize.

"Toph, take us south-east," Sokka asked.

"Why, where are we going?" Toph asked.

"This scroll points to something in the Si Wong Desert," Sokka explained. Then he noticed a small signature scribbled in the corner of the scroll. "Courtesy of this Zhao person, whoever he is."


	18. The Snitch

Chapter 17: The Snitch

Minister Qin awoke to finding himself tied up inside the Air Nomad Sanctuary. He was surprised about the pain in his shoulder, or lack thereof. It was still sore but the worst of the burn had been healed. Surrounding Qin were ashes and burned pieces of experimental weapons. Part of him wondered what the Mechanist had come up with before the destruction, but the rest of him was concerned with getting out of the situation.

The door to the sanctuary opened, allowing Qin to see Avatar Aang enter. Beside him were Katara, Suki, and Haru, all walking towards Qin. "What do you want with me?" Qin asked.

Haru turned towards Aang. "Why are we keeping him around anyway?" Haru whispered.

"Teo's dad says this guy is really high up in the Fire Nation army," Aang answered. "He might know something useful."

"I'll make him talk," Suki said, cracking her knuckles. "Just give me a few minutes alone with him."

"Is that really necessary?" Katara asked.

"Trust me," Suki said.

"Alright," Aang said.

Suki walked over to Qin while everyone else walked outside the sanctuary. She lifted Qin up by the rope binding him and pressed his back to a wall. "Now are you going to talk, or do I have to break something?" Suki threatened.

Qin simply stared at Suki, not convinced by her act. "You're new to this, aren't you?" Qin asked. "Torture doesn't work when you break things right away."

"Oh I'll figure this out eventually," Suki said. "Say, have you wondered how that burn healed so quickly?"

"No, why?" Qin asked.

"My friend is a waterbender, with healing abilities," Suki explained. "That means she can fix anything I do to you. I have all the time in the world to get this right."

With a short swallow, Qin's belief that Suki was bluffing wavered. He decided to play it safe and avoid unnecessary pain. "Alright, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Suki dropped Qin and walked out of the sanctuary to her friends. "Told you I'd get him to talk," she said.

All four kids walked back into the sanctuary and up to Qin. "Talk," Aang said.

"First thing you might want to know is that…" Qin was interrupted by something big hitting the side of the mountain and sending vibrations through the temple. "Huh? They're here already."

"Who's here," Haru asked.

"The army division that's supposed to attack this place if I don't come back," Qin answered.

Another vibration shook the sanctuary, slightly larger than before. "Don't go anywhere," Aang said. He hurried out of the sanctuary with his friends and then closed the door.

It only took them a few minutes to get to the balcony overlooking the mountain. Aang sent a windblast down to disperse clouds obscuring the view, and for a minute he wished he hadn't. Dozens of tanks were climbing up the mountain using chains to grabble the rocks. Below them were several catapults throwing boulders at the mountain, trying to shake the very foundations of the temple.

Leaping off the balcony Aang took to the air on his glider. He was followed by several people from the temple on gliders, all hastily equipped with various types of bombs. While the other fliers dropped their cargo Aang landed on the snow in front of the tanks and started bending the snow into a wave that struck the tanks. A few tanks were carried off the mountain, but fired their grabbling hooks to catch themselves. Aang struck the ground to bend the rocks and dislodge the tanks still trying to climb up the mountain.

A few tanks got past Aang's bending, heading straight for the temple. Coming down the mountain were Katara and Haru, using waves of water and earth respectively. Katara's wave grew as she collected more snow on her way down, using the wave to pick up the tanks and toss them aside. Haru moved past each tank and sank them into the rocks, binding them in place.

Catapults near the base of the mountain continued to throw boulders at the temple, some of them set on fire by the firebenders protecting the machines. Aang created an avalanche and a rockslide, then threw air and fire with the falling rocks and snow. The firebenders and soldiers at the catapults fled for cover as the elements struck the catapults, blowing drenching smashing and burning them all. With the catapults destroyed the firebenders boarded more tanks and drove them forward.

"They don't know when to quit," Haru commented.

Katara looked down the mountain and found even more soldiers and tanks heading forward. "Or they must really want our captive," she said.

"I have an idea, follow me," Aang said.

Hurrying down the mountain Aang struck more tanks on the way. Reaching the base of the mountain Aang bent the ground into a wave to push back the tanks approaching. Katara and Haru caught up with Aang on their elements and threw water and earth at the disoriented tanks. Obtaining a brief respite from the assault Aang turned back toward the mountain.

"Help me with this Haru," Aang asked, starting to bend the side of the mountain inward. "Cover us Katara."

Slowly Aang and Haru reshaped the base of the mountain while Katara blocked incoming fire. The already steep mountainside became a cavern with a high roof, the rocks above higher than the length of the chains the tanks used to climb. Repeating the same earthbending they made the new cavern deeper and wider, trying to make it impossible for the tanks to grapple their way up. But no one expected the new cavern to meet an existing one already beneath the mountain.

Approaching tanks continued to throw fireblasts, most of which were blocked by Katara's waterbending. A few stray fireblasts flew over everyone's heads and into the deep cavern. Suddenly an inferno spewed out of the cavern as a deposit of natural gas was ignited by the stray fire. Heading straight out of the cavern the inferno destroyed everything in its path.

Panicking Aang took flight, his glider just barely getting above the flow of fire. The heat of the blaze singed his clothes, nearly setting them aflame. On the ground Haru bent a shield of earth over himself and Katara, then buried both of them deeper into the ground. Even below ground the heat nearly cooked them alive, only going deeper kept them cool enough to survive. The tanks and soldiers had no defense, the inferno overwhelming attempts by firebenders to redirect the blaze.

Just as suddenly as the inferno ignited it passed and dissipated. Aang landed on the ground out of breath, exhausted from the near death experience. The ground nearby broke open as Haru and Katara climbed out of their hole, both soaked in sweat. The terrain around them was reduced to a barren wasteland, nothing remained of the army sent to destroy the temple.

"What the hell was that?" Haru yelled.

Katara looked at Aang's vacant expression. "Did you know that was going to happen?" she asked.

For a moment Aang didn't say a word, since his jaw was hanging in disbelief. Then with one hand on the back of his head and his eyes closed he said "Uh, yea. I meant to do that."

No one believed him.

* * *

><p>Returning to the temple Aang and the others found the locals celebrating. The Mechanist was surprised that Aang utilized the natural gas deposit he had known was beneath the temple, and Aang tried to avoid the topic. He headed straight for the sanctuary and get back to where he left off with Qin. The minister was right where Aang left him, still tied up in the back of the sanctuary.<p>

"Now where were we?" Aang asked after opening the sanctuary doors.

"I believe he was just about to tell us everything," Suki said.

"Well then, talk," Haru said to Qin. "Cause I doubt there's another army division coming to get you."

"Alright," Qin said. "But could you please untie me? This position is really giving me a crick."

Katara and Suki looked at Aang, wondering if he believed Qin was being sincere. Aang nodded to them and they slowly untied the rope binding Qin. Once they were finished they took a few steps back from Qin, suspecting that he might try something. All Qin did was stand up and stretch his limbs, then leaned back against the wall.

"So what do you want to know first?" Qin asked.

"Wait a minute," Katara said. "How do we know you aren't just going to lie to us?"

"In case you forgot, Princess Azula shot me in cold blood," Qin said. "She left me for dead, so why not rat her out."

"So that's what crazy blue fire girl's name is," Katara said.

"That was the Fire Nation princess this whole time?" Haru asked.

"No wonder she hates us," Suki said.

"And I want to pay her back for what she did to me," Qin admitted.

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" Aang asked.

Qin crossed his arms and smiled. "There's a secret project I started with one of the Mechanist's designs," Qin said. "A giant drill near Ba Sing Se, powerful enough to tunnel through its walls."

"A giant drill?" Haru said. "That sounds crazy."

"Crazy enough to work, which is what I told the Fire Lord when I proposed the drill," Qin said. "It is still under construction, and Azula was supposed to put her hunt for you on hold to oversee its completion. If you hurry you can stop the drill before it's finished and humiliate Azula in the eyes of the Fire Lord."

"What would stop her from building another one?" Katara asked.

"Resources," Qin answered. "The damn thing is massive, and there simply isn't enough material available to build a second drill."

For a moment Aang considered what Qin had said. While he doubted the likelihood of the drill existing, if there was any chance of it being real he had to do something about it. "You know where this drill is?" Aang asked.

"Of course," Qin said. "If you like I can show the way."

"And there's no strings attached," Suki said, suspecting that Qin had another motive. "Nothing you want in return?"

Qin chuckled for a bit. "Well there was something I thought could be left unsaid," he answered. "Assuming you win the war, which is unlikely at best, I'd like to be in the Avatar's good graces."

"So no matter which side wins, you win," Haru said.

"Correct," Qin said with a nod. "But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. The end of this war is still far away."


	19. The Library

Chapter 18: The Library

After stopping in another town to finish purchasing supplies, Sokka and Toph traveled to the interior of the Earth Kingdom continent. On the northern side of the Si Wong desert they found a trading outpost of the local sandbenders, one of the few safe points of entry to the vast plains of sand. Using some of the conned coin from the earlier village Sokka purchased travel on one of the local sand-sailers, since Toph had trouble seeing when she stepped into sand.

While riding on the sand-sailer Toph was fascinated by the sandbending used to propel the vessel. Instead of dominating the earth like Toph did, the sandbenders made it flow and carry the sailer with the current of sand. Earthbenders bending like waterbenders was a concept Toph had never thought was possible. During the trip Toph asked the sandbenders to show her how they bent the sand, and in exchange she taught them how to see with vibrations.

On the journey into the desert Sokka shared the scroll with the sandbenders, who knew the landmarks far better than Sokka. Intrigued about what might be hidden in their territory the sandbenders propelled the sand-sailer as fast as they could. Only a few days after entering the desert the sailer reached the location on the scroll, coming to a stop in front of what appeared to be a tower sticking out of the southern desert sands.

"That's it?" Sokka questioned as he climbed out of the sand-sailer. "This thing leads to a tower?"

Toph jumped out of the sailer onto the sands. "Why would anyone build anything all the way out here?" she asked.

Walking over to the tower Sokka looked for a door, but found nothing even as he walked around it in a circle. "Maybe there's more here than just this tower?" Sokka said. "Hey Toph, come here and tell me what you can see with this."

"Alright," Toph said. She walked over to the tower and struck her hand against the side. "Whoa… This this thing is huge!"

"What is it?" Sokka said.

"This part you see is just the tip of a massive building," Toph described. "It's completely intact, and far from empty."

"Can you tell what's inside?" Sokka asked.

Focusing for a moment Toph tried to find an answer, but eventually shook her head. "I can't tell from here," Toph admitted. "We'd have to go inside to find out."

Thinking for a moment about the discovery, Sokka turned towards the sandbenders. "Hey, do one of you guys have an idea of what this is?" Sokka asked.

Once of the sandbenders, a young man named Ghashiun, stepped ahead of the others. "There was some teacher from Ba Sing Se asking about a library a few weeks ago," Ghashiun said. "It looks like he wasn't as crazy as I thought."

"Let's check it out," Sokka said. He tied a rope to his boomerang and threw it up to catch a window near the top of the tower. Climbing the rope with Toph they reached the window and peered inside. When Sokka saw how far down the floor was inside he said "I'm going to need more rope."

Borrowing a longer rope from the sandbenders Sokka made certain it could reach the floor inside before climbing down. After taking several minutes to reach the floor Sokka tugged on the rope to tell Toph to start climbing. Once Toph made it to the floor Sokka observed his surroundings. There were rows of books as far as the eye could see, and several floors below the bridge they stood on. Strange green lights illuminated the rows of books while the area in the middle was lit by sunlight through the tower.

"Nothing I can use here," Toph complained. She laid down on her side next to the rope. "Tell me when you're done. I'm going to take a nap."

Before Sokka could respond he heard something moving from a distance. "That's nap's going to have to wait," Sokka said. He grabbed Toph and pulled her up and ran for the end of the bridge, hiding behind one of the many support pillars.

While they hid a giant owl walked from the other end of the bridge. It stopped at the rope in the middle and looked up, seemingly aware of trespassers. Then the owl turned its head away from Sokka and Toph, turning all the way around to stare at the exact pillar they were hiding behind. **"I know you're back there."**

"Is that a giant bird?" Toph questioned as she walked away from the pillar towards the owl. For the first time she wondered if her feet were lying to her.

While wondering if it was a bad idea, Sokka followed Toph and stopped in front of the owl. "What… Who are you?" Sokka asked.

"**I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things. And you are obviously humans, which by the way are no longer permitted in my study."**

"Why not?" Sokka asked.

"**Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans."**

"He's got a point," Toph interrupted.

"**Brutal honesty. Unlike that firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy."**

"Hang on a sec," Sokka said. He grabbed the scroll from his bag and showed it to Wan Shi Tong. "That firebender wouldn't happen to be the guy that wrote this?" Sokka asked when he unrolled the scroll.

"**HE RECORDED IT!" **The library shook for a moment in the spirit's anger, furious that the firebender had not only damaged his collection but had the location of his library written for anyone to see. Millennia ago Wan Shi Tong had specifically chosen the desert for his library, so that only those willing to brave the dangers would be worthy of the knowledge within. A map leading directly to the library was unacceptable to the spirit.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sokka said, barely maintaining his composure in front of the angry spirit.

Toph stepped over to Sokka and took the scroll out of his hands. "How about a trade?" Toph suggested. "We give big bird the scroll and he lets Sokka use this place?"

"**You do not desire knowledge?"**

Waving her hand in front of her eyes, Toph said "I'm blind. Even if I wanted to I can't read anything in here."

"**That can be corrected."**

"Say what?" Toph questioned.

"**A portion of my collection was scribed in a text invented by a blind human. I have little use for it, and for centuries it has been gathering dust."**

Sokka took the scroll back and offered it towards the spirit. "So do we have a deal?" Sokka asked. "The scroll for access to the library?"

"**Agreed." **Wan Shi Tong swept a wing over the scroll and it vanished. **"The collection for the blind is on one of the lower floors."**

Wan Shi Tong walked through the halls of the library, guiding Toph towards the bottom. Once he couldn't see the spirit Sokka started wandering around the library, browsing through the collection at random. Skimming through books and scrolls Sokka placed interesting ones into his green bag while putting the rest back where he found them. Before long Sokka wished he had all the time in the world to spend in the library, so much to learn that could not be found anywhere else.

Losing track of time Sokka got lost in row after row of books. He noticed strange foxes roaming the library, often placing books and scrolls on shelves or tidying up. Stumbling across a wing dedicated to Fire Nation texts, Sokka found that everything inside had been burned to ash. While disappointed about the destruction of the information, Sokka realized that this had to be why Wan Shi Tong had been furious about the scroll he used to have.

Eventually Sokka wandered into the lower floors of the library, wondering what a book for the blind would look like. He found Toph sitting at a table with a book in front of her, one hand slowly moving over a page. When Sokka got closer he saw that the page had rows of raised bumps in various patterns, and that Toph's fingers were dragging over the bumps.

"What are you reading?" Sokka asked. Immediately Toph yelled and fell back out of her chair onto the floor. "Did I just surprise you?" Sokka asked, himself surprised at Toph's reaction.

Standing up Toph walked over to Sokka and punched his arm. "I finally learn to read and you come along and ruin it," she complained. She couldn't believe how absorbed she had been with reading to not notice Sokka coming.

Glancing at the book on the table, Sokka had no idea what any of the little bumps meant. "How do you read that?" Sokka asked. He picked up the book and looked at the cover. _Beginners Guide to Braille_ was written on the cover in normal writing, as well as in the raised bumps.

Toph took the book back and placed her fingers back on the page she was on when Sokka had interrupted. "The owl got me started on this, and I'm starting to get the hang of it," Toph said, slowly reading the page.

"Well, have fun with that," Sokka said. He grabbed a few random books from the section and stuffed them into his bag, having no idea what was in them but felt that Toph should have something to read after leaving the library. Leaving the blind section of the library Sokka resumed his browsing, trying to find anything useful.

Even after a few more hours of wandering, Sokka continued to be impressed by the library. Only his rumbling belly gave away the passage of time, and he kept his stomach happy by snacking on meat jerky. He believed he could spend lifetimes inside and still not cover a fraction of the entire collection. And yet all the knowledge seemed wasted beneath the desert sands, most of it forgotten by the world above. For a while Sokka considered founding his own library on the surface, once the Avatar ended the war.

Interrupting Sokka's ambitious thoughts was a display case that caught his eye. Set up against a wall between rows of bookshelves, the glass of the case glinted in the light. Sokka walked up to the case to see what was on display, finding a piece of burned parchment inside. There was a date on the parchment and text reading 'The Darkest Day in Fire Nation History.'

"I wonder what happened on the darkest day," Sokka muttered. Forcing the case open with his machete Sokka took the parchment out. He was about to place it in his bag when he found there wasn't any room left, the bag completely filled with books and scrolls. Then he heard one of the spirit's foxes pining at his feet, trying to get his attention. "Do you know what happened?"

The fox skirted past several bookshelves, then stopped and looked at Sokka. When he followed the fox continued, leading Sokka to another part of the library. At a round stone door the fox slipped through a hole and activated a mechanism on the other side, making the stone door slid into the wall. Walking inside Sokka found a domelike room with a round table in the middle. There was a lever next to the table and the fox pushed it with its front paws.

When the domed roof started to move Sokka realized he was inside a planetarium, a marvel of engineering he didn't think was possible. The roof stopped with daylight displayed and the sun placed near the horizon. "Neat…" Sokka muttered, wondering what else the planetarium could display. Examining the table in the center he found adjustable rings showing dates. Turning the rings Sokka made the date match the parchment, then pushed the lever.

This time the domed roof stopped with daylight displayed, but the room was dark. Sokka didn't see where the sun was placed, until he noticed it was behind the moon. Putting two and two together Sokka realized that the darkest day for the Fire Nation was literal, a solar eclipse darkening the sky. Something devastated the Fire Nation on that day, and Sokka figured the only explanation was that the eclipse disabled firebending. Similar to how the lunar eclipse had rendered waterbenders powerless.

Thinking about the lunar eclipse made Sokka curious about how accurate the planetarium was. He adjusted the date to match the recent eclipse and pulled the lever. The domed roof moved to show the night sky with the moon displayed, but the light in the room shone a dull red. "Interesting…" Sokka muttered, noting that the planetarium had to have been engineered to predict celestial events. He doubted that Wan Shi Tong noticed the lunar eclipse, or even bothered to add recent events to the planetarium.

Suddenly Sokka realized how he could use the planetarium against the Fire Nation, and make poetic justice for the Water Tribe. He started adjusting the date to the future, and observed what the planetarium predicted one day at a time. If he could find another solar eclipse in the future it could give the world an opportunity against the Fire Nation. Eventually he found one only a few months away, and wrote the date down inside several books just in case he forgot.

Not saying a word even to the fox, Sokka walked out of the planetarium to find Toph. He tossed a bit of jerky to the fox and it scampered away, and Sokka hoped the fox would forget showing him the planetarium. Suspecting that the owl wouldn't like his intentions, he hurried back to the blind section of the library. He found Toph still at the table, her hand moving along the raised bumps slightly faster than earlier.

Wondering if he could surprise Toph again, Sokka tiptoed towards her. He got up to a foot behind her when his foot sank into the stone floor. "Nice try," Toph said, then earthbent Sokka's foot out of the floor.

"Come on, I had to try it," Sokka said. He walked up to Toph and whispered "It's time to go."

"I'm not done here," Toph said.

"Trust me on this" Sokka whispered. "Grab what you want to bring and let's get out of here."

Toph earthbent a stone box out of the floor and started filling it with books she could read. After bending a few stone wheels onto the box Toph started pushing it out of the blind section, using earthbending to bring it up stairs. With Sokka helping her push the stone box they made it to the rope leading out of the library in half an hour. But directly between them and the rope was Wan Shi Tong.

"**Are you satisfied with the library?"**

"Yes, yes I am," Sokka said.

"**Very well. Return those tomes before you leave."**

"Um…" Sokka muttered. He hadn't even thought about hiding the scrolls and books he and Toph took, since it would have been nearly impossible to cover up. "Can we rent them?"

"**No."**

"Oh alright," Sokka said. He set his bag on the floor and pulled out one of the books. Then he threw it as hard as he could, taking the spirit by surprise and hitting its throat. The blow disoriented Wan Shi Tong and he stumbled off the side of the bridge, falling down a few floors before taking flight. Wan Shi Tong shrieked in anger, the noise echoing throughout the library.

"Way to go, you pissed him off," Toph said, pushing her stone box to the rope.

In a heartbeat Sokka was next to Toph with his bag. "Just earthbend us out of here," Sokka said.

Just a moment before Wan Shi Tong could reach them Toph earthbended the stone in the bridge, launching them into the tower above. When they hit the inside wall of the tower Toph made the stone collapse, sending them tumbling onto the desert sands outside. Sokka and Toph were ready to run for it when the tower began to sink into the sand. Within minutes the tower vanished, Wan Shi Tong sealing away the library for good.

Once Sokka's heart stopped pounding did he finally notice that it was dawn outside. He could have sworn that it had been mid-afternoon when they found the library. "How long were we in there?" Sokka asked.

Toph shrugged. "I have no idea."

Looking around Sokka found the stone box and his bag half buried in the sand. A few of the scrolls and books had spilled out, which he quickly collected. But there was no sign of the sandbenders. "Great, they left without us," Sokka complained.

"Probably got tired of waiting," Toph suggested. "Now what was so important that you had to anger the owl?"

Sokka checked one of the books he had written in earlier, making sure that the date was still there. "A solar eclipse is coming" Sokka explained. "The firebenders will be powerless. It's an opportunity to do some real damage."

"Won't they see it coming?" Toph asked. "They knew about the lunar eclipse."

Thinking about it for a moment Sokka realized Toph might be right. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Sokka said. "Right now we need to get out of this desert."

"And how are we supposed to do that without our ride?" Toph asked. "I can barely see here."

As if on cue Sokka spotted a strange cloud on the southern horizon. Several minutes later Sokka could make out several sand-sailers, the cloud being sand kicked up in their wake. Sokka waved his arms and yelled in an attempt to get their attention. The sailers came to a stop, and Sokka recognized one of the sandbenders as Ghashiun.

With the sandbenders was a tall man in a brown desert outfit and hat, and was the first to climb out of a sand-sailer. "Hello there" the stranger said, waving to Sokka and Toph. "Are you the children that these kind sandbenders said that found this?" He held up a drawing of an ornate building, with a familiar tower at its peak.

Sokka looked down at where the stranger's feet were. "You're standing on it," Sokka answered.

For a moment the stranger was speechless, looking down at his feet. "WHAT!" he shouted. "My life's ambition is full of sand!"

"Who is this guy?" Toph asked, wondering why the sandbenders left her and Sokka behind to get him.

"Oh yes," the stranger said, regaining his composure. "I'm Professor Zei, Head of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University."

Ghashuin jumped out of a sand-sailer and walked over to Sokka. "Figures that I give this guy a favor and his precious library disappears" Ghasuin complained. "How in the world did you pull that off?"

Toph jerked her thumb at Sokka. "He threw a book at the spirit in there," she explained.

Professor Zei perked up at the mention of a spirit in the library. "What spirit? What book? What was it like in there?"

"You know, I'd be happy to tell you…" Sokka said, holding up his bag full of books and scrolls. "For a favor.

"Anything," Zei said, staring at the treasure Sokka offered.

"We found something in there that needs to get to Ba Sing Se," Sokka explained. "Could you possibly get us in there?"

"Of course," Zei agreed. He took a random book from the bag, finding a copy of _Water Tribe: A Tragic Division _that was nearly impossible to find. "These tomes must be brought to Ba Sing Se immediately."


	20. The Drill

_A/N: Today's installment will be a bit different from before, focusing on the perspective of our villains. The reason for this is because the events from our heroes perspective would waste a lot of time on things that wouldn't be much different from the canon episode. It just seemed appropriate to write a Villain Chapter here._

Chapter 19: The Drill

Hidden in the mountains northwest of Ba Sing Se, the Fire Nation worked on its most ambitious project since the original attack on the Air Nomads. Nestled in a valley between mountains was the construction of a massive drill, and all passages into the valley were heavily guarded by Fire Nation troops. For nearly three years the drill had been under construction, finally nearing completion after so much time and resources spent on the massive machine.

Only a few pieces of the drill's outer hull remained to be attached, all near the command tower at the rear of the drill. Interior components were being tested time and time again, any defective parts being replaced immediately. Over a thousand workers and engineers inside practiced their parts, many of them trained specifically to operate the controls and maintain the mechanisms. Everyone took pride in the part they had to play, proving that they wouldn't require a magical comet to win the war.

Inside the drill Princess Azula was given a complete tour. She didn't really care about how the drill functioned, just if it could do the job. Aside from a few inconsequential issues, the drill appeared to be in working order. At the end of the tour Azula used a mechanical lift to rise up the command tower, where she planned to watch the final pieces of the drill be attached. But when she reached the top and entered the command center she found someone already sitting in her chair.

"Brother? What are you doing here?" Azula asked.

Prince Zuko was reclining at an odd angle, eating an apple. "Isn't it obvious?" Zuko asked between bites. "Father wants both of us to take Ba Sing Se."

In the chair beside Zuko was Azula's old friend Mai. The two girls had lost touch after Mai's engagement to Zuko was made official, but Azula was glad to see her after so much time. Mai didn't appear to glad about seeing Azula, but that was completely normal for her. "Can we get on with this?" Mai asked.

Azula stepped over to one of the windows overlooking the entire drill. She could see the scaffolding on the steep mountains beside the drill, workers on it carefully lowering the last plates of metal to complete the drill's hull. "Yes, I believe we are ready," Azula said.

After giving the command to proceed to the drill's main operator, Azula took the empty seat next to Zuko. The drill took several minutes to warm up before it could start moving, and even then it was very slow to accelerate. For an hour Azula could have walked faster than the drill moved, and in that time she ordered the nearest operator to get her some lunch.

During the meal of turtle-duck salad Mai glanced out the front window. She could see that the drill had been built with the front towards the lowest point in the mountain chain, but the steep rocks were still high and in the way. "So are we just going to ram into those hills?" Mai asked.

"Of course," Azula said, finishing her meal. "We've got to test this machine."

As the drill approached the low mountains the massive bit at the front began to spin. When it hit the mountains the rocks began to grind away, and grooves in the bit carried the ground up rock toward the rear of the drill. Simple stone was no match for metal, and the low mountains gradually vanished in the path of the drill. The peaks of the low mountains rested on top of the drill for a while, but eventually crumbled without the foundations below.

Looking at the controls for the drill Azula noted that the machine hadn't even used half of its maximum drilling speed. The walls of Ba Sing Se would be harder to tunnel through than the natural mountain, but Azula was certain the drill could accomplish the task. Looking forward Azula saw the vast plains between the mountains and the walls. Normally the flat lands gave defenders all the advantages, but now it would only let them see their inevitable defeat coming.

Relaxing in his chair Zuko was just as bored at Mai. "So how was the hunt for the Avatar?" Zuko asked.

Azula glanced at her brother, knowing that he was baiting her. "A waste of my time," Azula answered. "Master of all elements or not, he's just one boy."

"A boy that wrecked Zhao's small fleet in one night," Zuko commented.

"That fool had it coming," Azula said, glad for an excuse to change the subject. "He had some delusional scheme to 'kill the moon' or some other nonsense."

"Yeah, father's glad that I led the navy against the Water Tribe instead of him," Zuko said. "One less stronghold for the Avatar to hide in."

"And yet the people in that tribe got away," Azula said, taking a bit of pleasure in pointing out her brother's failure.

"They were resourceful," Zuko said, remembering the unexpected earthbender he fought. "But without their ice fortress they aren't of any concern."

"I suppose not," Azula said. She looked out the front window, seeing Ba Sing Se's wall on the horizon. With how slow the drill was moving it would take at least a day or two to reach the wall.

With a yawn Mai stood up. "Come get me if there's something to do," Mai said. Just before she was about to leave she noticed a dust cloud appear out of nowhere in front of the drill. "Is that supposed to happen?" Mai asked, pointing towards the cloud.

"No," Azula said, standing up. "Someone's up to something."

"Good, I could use the exercise," Mai said.

Azula was almost at the lift leading out of the command center when she noticed Zuko still in his seat. "Aren't you coming?" Azula asked.

"In a bit," Zuko said. "Mai should be all the help you'll need."

Stepping into the lift Azula waited for Mai to enter before activating it. As the lift descended into the main body of the drill Azula wanted to use the time to catch up with Mai. "How are matters back in the homeland?" Azula asked.

"Dull, as usual," Mai answered. "Sure I had the family home all to myself after my parents left for Omashu, but that just made it more boring."

"How are they?" Azula asked. "I heard they had another kid, Thomas was it?"

"Tom Tom," Mai corrected. The lift reached the bottom and the door opened. Both girls started walking through the drill's main corridor, heading for one of the stairways in the middle. "Say, have you heard from Ty Lee?"

"As far as I know, she's still with that circus," Azula answered. "We really should get the old gang back together."

"Just like old times at the Academy," Mai said. She led Azula into one of the stairways that spanned the entire height of the drill, all the way down to the maintenance hatches on the bottom. On the way down both girls caught glimpses of workers focusing on their tasks on every floor. "Have you tried to find Ty Lee?"

Azula sighed and shook her head. "Every time I get around to looking the circus has already moved on."

"Last I heard it was near Omashu," Mai said.

Reaching the bottom floor Azula and Mai walked towards the front of the drill. They found one of the maintenance hatches wide open, practically begging for intruders. "Sloppy," Azula said when they found it. "Who was supposed to make sure these were closed?"

Mai shrugged. "Probably someone that believed no one would dare to be stupid enough to get underneath this thing."

A faint sound of hissing steam caught Azula's attention. She held a hand up to tell Mai to be silent, then quietly headed for the noise. Inside a room filled with pipes she found one with a valve broken off and leaking steam. Also in the room was an engineer, nearly covered in slowly melting ice. The engineer tried to speak, but the sound was muffled by his safety mask and the ice covering it.

Walking up to the engineer Azula grabbed the ice covering his mask and used firebending to melt it off. "Report," Azula ordered.

"A Water Tribe girl snuck up on me," the engineer reported. "She stole my schematics."

"Was anyone else with her?" Azula demanded, suspecting who she was.

"There was another girl in green, that's all I could see," the engineer answered.

Using a weak flare of fire Azula melted the rest of the ice on the engineer. "Get repair teams down here immediately" Azula ordered.

With a salute the engineer said "Understood," and ran off to obey the command.

Mai waited for the engineer to be gone before saying anything. "So who are our saboteurs?" Mai asked, figuring that Azula at least had an idea of who froze the engineer.

"Someone that shouldn't be here this soon," Azula answered. She suspected that the Avatar was inside the drill, but how he knew to be here so soon after their last encounter she didn't have a clue.

Moving quickly through the drill Azula and Mai searched for the intruders. Ordering the crew to be on high alert made the search easier, eliminating many of the places an intruder could hide. Before long it became clear that there wasn't any sabotage in the drill's interior, prompting Azula and Mai to check the outer shell. Using a passage on a middle floor, Azula and Mai entered the outer shell and found the trespassers.

Confirming Azula's suspicions was the Avatar, passing water back and forth with the Water Tribe girl to cut through one of the drill's support braces. With them were an Earth Kingdom boy and a Kyoshi Warrior standing guard. None of them saw Azula, being on a higher floor than them. Taking a moment to observe what her enemies were up to, Azula found that they were only a third of the way done with cutting through the support brace.

_Idiots, taking the hardest possible way to disable the drill _Azula thought. If it had been her plan she'd have gone straight for the main engine. With a hand signal Azula told Mai to strike first, her throwing knives being far quieter than firebending. Only a casual glance up from the Kyoshi Warrior gave away their position, just before Mai could throw her first knife.

"DUCK!" the warrior yelled. The warning was just enough time for Aang to get his head out of the path of Mai's knife, though it still nicked the top of his bald head.

Mai threw more knives while Azula started throwing blue fireblasts at the people below. Aang took flight on his glider, trying to draw attention away from his friends. Using firebending from her feet Azula launched herself after Aang, leaping from one horizontal brace to another while throwing blue fire at him. She didn't care about the others, inconsequential in comparison to the Avatar.

Near the rear of the drill Aang landed and ran into the interior. Azula entered the same passage and followed, taking shots at him whenever she could. However Aang was bending a gust of wind at his back, allowing him to run faster than Azula could. Despite the advantage of speed he had to knock out people in his way, leaving a trail of unconscious bodies for Azula to follow.

Following the trail Azula entered a corridor that spanned the entire length of the drill, from the lift to the control center all the way to the massive bit at the other end. She saw the Avatar running towards the rear, focusing only on evading pursuit. Aang was only a dozen yards away from the lift when the door opened, and Prince Zuko stepped out.

Seeing that his path was blocked Aang slid to a stop, and was about to run back the way he came but saw Azula in the way. The nearest side passage was beside Zuko, and the next was behind Azula. Trapped between the two royal siblings, Aang threw fireblasts at both of them. Far more experienced with firebending, Zuko and Azula easily diverted the flames harmlessly into the metal walls.

"So this is the Avatar?" Zuko questioned. "And he already knows firebending?"

"You what that means, brother," Azula said, deliberately letting the Avatar know just who he was dealing with.

Zuko held his arms in a familiar pose and winked to Azula. Aang didn't like the look of him, and turned towards Azula to face the threat he knew. He was about to try forcing his way past her when Azula started charging a bolt of lightning. Recognizing the danger Aang turned around, but found Zuko also charging a bolt of lightning.

"Not good not good," Aang muttered, realizing that he was completely screwed.

The prince and the princess fired lightning at the same time, directly at their foe in between. They knew that even if the Avatar avoided a direct hit the twin bolts would collide and scatter the energy into everything around the impact. The heat alone would cook him alive, assuming that the strike didn't turn him into ash.

Fear gripped Aang, overwhelming in the face of certain death. The ancient self-defense mechanism possessed by every Avatar activated, his eyes and tattoos glowing blue in the Avatar State. His consciousness was absorbed into the collective wisdom of the Avatars, possessing his body to preserve his life. A technique created by a Water Tribe Avatar three cycles back surfaced, taking over to save Avatar Aang.

Just before the twin bolts of lightning struck Avatar Aang held out both arms, letting each bolt hit one hand. The energy was channeled into his arms, making the blue glow in his tattoos turn white as his chi paths were supercharged. Both bolts of lightning met in his stomach, generating light that shone through his shirt. From there all of the lightning went down, splitting just above the hip and passing through his legs and feet into the metal floor.

Conducting through the metal, the lightning spread out in every direction. Dispersing with distance, only a small fraction of the energy made it to Zuko and Azula. It was enough to make their legs feel like rubber, and both had to grab onto a wall to hold themselves up. Once all the lightning was gone the glow from the Avatar State faded, leaving Aang exhausted but alive.

Immediately Aang hopped from one foot to the other. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" he shouted, finding his shoes burned through and standing barefoot on scorched metal. Once he found cooler metal to stand on he started blowing on the soles of his feet, trying to relive pain from burns. Then he noticed that he had an opportunity to escape, and half-glided through the corridor to keep pressure off his burned feet.

Neither royal sibling could pursue the Avatar, momentarily paralyzed by the shock in their legs. By the time they recovered Aang was gone. "Since when could the Avatar do that?" Zuko asked, starting to feel his legs again.

Azula stretched her legs, trying to get the full feeling back in them. "Uncle can do something similar," Azula said, remembering when Iroh redirected one of her weaker bolts of lightning. "But it was nowhere near that impressive."

Zuko took a few clumsy steps towards Azula, taking it slow to avoid tripping over his still numb feet. "Next time one of us will just have to shoot him in the back," Zuko said. "All the power in the world won't matter if he's taken by surprise."

"We have to find him again first," Azula said. Most of her legs felt normal again, and she took a few steps down the hall.

Suddenly the drill shook for a moment, and a second later they heard the sound of something exploding echoing through the drill. Immediately the drill began to slow, but the sheer mass and momentum kept the drill moving. An alarm sounded throughout the drill, warning the crew to seek shelter. Zuko and Azula started running towards the source of the alarm, urgency overwhelming their need to recover.

Through several hallways many of the crew were hauling injured people into side rooms, all getting out of the way as Zuko and Azula passed. Several pointed towards the source of the explosion, which began to infuriate Azula. They were heading for the main engine room, and when they arrived it had been completely evacuated.

Inside the air was filled with smoke and steam, making it difficult to see. Littering the floor were puddles of water and scattered coal, leftovers from the bending that wrecked the engines. Azula guessed that the earthbender among the Avatar's friends had overloaded the engines with coal, and the waterbender had suppressed the boiling water until the pressure made the entire thing explode. Twisted parts and scrap metal were all that remained of the engines, nearly unrecognizable.

After seeing the damage Azula immediately got out of the room, coughing from the smoke. Zuko took a look inside, but only remained for a few seconds before getting out of there. Among the crew outside the engine room was Mai, tying a bandage around an injured worker's arm. When Mai saw Azula she stood up and walked up to them.

"We lost," Mai said.

For a moment Azula wanted nothing else but to kill someone, but lacked a suitable target. Instead she turned to the nearest engineer. "How long will this take to repair?" she demanded.

"Two weeks minimum, if we had the parts, which we don't," the engineer answered. On a piece of parchment he scribbled a few calculations. "Four months, if nothing interrupts the manufacture of what we need."

Clenching her fists, smoke started to rise from between Azula's fingers. If the engineer's estimate was accurate the drill wouldn't be operational until after Sozin's Comet, and by then it wouldn't be needed. All the work put into the drill would be for nothing. "I don't care how much it costs or what you need to do, just get this drill repaired as quickly as possible," Azula ordered.

"Understood," the engineer said. He knew a few unethical ways to speed up the process, but believed that Azula wouldn't care.

Needing a place to vent frustration, Azula headed for the nearest exit from the drill. She left through one of the maintenance hatches, and once she was on the ground she walked out from underneath the drill. Once she was under the blue sky she heard a distant roar from above. Looking up Azula saw the Avatar's bison flying towards Ba Sing Se, and could imagine him and his friends laughing at her expense.

In the distance Azula saw the wall of Ba Sing Se on the horizon, seemingly mocking her. Soon the Avatar would be outside her reach behind the wall, protected until the day Sozin's Comet arrives. Waiting nearly three months for the comet's power was unacceptable, not when the Avatar could use that time to rally an army to his command. Azula knew she had to find a way inside Ba Sing Se, by any means necessary.

_A/N: Now I know that canon says Iroh invented lightning redirection, but since he created it by mixing waterbending principals with firebending techniques it seems highly unlikely that no previous Avatars would have done the same thing._


	21. The Big City

Chapter 20: The Big City

After retrieving Appa from a mountain they left Minister Qin at, Aang and the others flew towards Ba Sing Se. Haru was at the reins while Aang was in the saddle with his feet in the air. Katara was applying water to Aang's burned feet and slowly healing them. Suki was trying to repair Aang's shoes but didn't have the right material to replace the soles. Below them the drill was slowly grinding to a halt, courtesy of Haru and Katara's sabotage that made the engines explode.

"How did this happen?" Katara asked, referring to the burns she was healing.

"It turns out that crazy girl Azula has a brother," Aang answered. "And apparently lightning runs in the family."

"Okay, from now on you're not going anywhere alone," Suki said. She tossed the ruined shoes aside, deciding that they weren't worth the effort to fix. "Too many people want you dead."

"But we should be fine once we're in Ba Sing Se," Aang said. Then he noticed that Appa was heading down early. "Haru, why are landing now?"

Haru was looking straight at the Outer Wall, guiding Appa to land on it. "No one in the city has seen a sky bison in a hundred years," Haru explained. "We don't want to freak people out by flying straight for the Earth King."

In minutes Appa landed on the Outer Wall, and was immediately surrounded by dozens of Earth Kingdom soldiers. Aang leapt off Appa and landed in front of him, leaning on his staff to keep his weight off still delicate feet. All of the soldiers either wielded spears or took earthbending stances, all aimed at either Aang or Appa.

"Civilians aren't allowed on the wall," one of the soldiers said.

"I'm the Avatar," Aang said. "We need to see the Earth King."

A few of the soldiers lowered their weapons and whispered to each other. Once they finished their discussion one of them signaled the rest to stand down. "We'll take you to General Sung."

The soldiers lead Aang and his friends to a building on the wall. Leaving Appa and the others just outside Aang entered to meet the general. Behind a desk was General Sung, a middle aged with robes that seemed too big for him. He was about to yell about the intrusion when a soldier whispered in his ear, informing him that Aang was the Avatar.

Sung stood up from his desk and walked over to Aang. "What brings the Avatar to this grand city?" Sung asked, bowing to Aang.

"I need the Earth King's help," Aang answered. "Can you get us to him right away?"

"Not personally," Sung answered, stroking his chin. "But I can get you authorization to be in the Upper Ring. I'll be sure to let the palace guard know you're coming."

"Thank you," Aang said with a bow.

"Just be sure to stop at the Inner Wall first," Sung recommended. "You'll need to pick up a guide there."

"Why?" Aang asked.

"Because there are laws in Ba Sing Se that must be obeyed by everyone," Sung explained. "You may be the Avatar, but that does not make you an exception."

"Alright, fine," Aang said.

After climbing back into Appa's saddle the bison flew towards the Inner Wall. Passing over the Agrarian Zone between walls everyone noticed how most of the land below was used for farming. Everything the city needed had to be produced there, since trade with the outside world was cut off in the war. Farmers on the ground saw Appa pass by, pointing him out for their kids to see.

Along the way Appa followed a train propelled by earthbending, which carried refugees towards the lower ring of the city. It led to a station just inside the wall, and Appa landed just outside of it. People at the station backed away from Appa, uncertain if the bison was friendly or not. Aang and the others climbed out of the saddle in time to see a woman in yellow approach them, who had a strange smile on her face.

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se."

"We don't need the grand tour," Suki said.

"You must be Suki, Katara, and Haru," Joo Dee continued, ignoring Suki's interruption. "Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

"First, can I get some new shoes?" Aang asked, holding up a tender bare foot and pointing at it.

"Why yes, there's an excellent cobbler in the lower ring," Joo Dee answered. "We can stop there on our way to your new home."

"Everyone back in the saddle," Haru said.

While the kids climbed aboard, they noticed that Joo Dee was hesitant to join them. Used to handling inquisitive refugees and traveling in carriages, riding a sky bison was a task she had never been prepared for. But since she lacked an excuse to avoid the issue, she reluctantly climbed into Appa's saddle. When Appa took off Joo Dee's perpetual smile wavered for a moment, barely maintaining her self-control.

Despite the unusual perspective from the air, Joo Dee could still locate a suitable store for Aang to replace his shoes in the lower ring. The cobbler didn't have the same kind of shoes Aang used to wear, given that the style hadn't been made in a century. Instead Aang had to make do with a pair of sandals that were the latest fashion in Ba Sing Se.

After the quick stop Appa was back in the air flying towards the upper ring, quickly passing the wall dividing the lower and middle rings. Joo Dee gave her usual descriptions of what the rings contained, though her speech wavered due to her discomfort in the air. The house reserved for the Avatar was easy to spot in the upper ring, thanks to the wide spaces between the luxury homes. When Appa landed in front of it Joo Dee showed everyone the inside of the house.

"Isn't it nice?" Joo Dee asked. "I think you'll really enjoy it here."

"Can we go see the king now?" Aang asked.

"Oh no, you don't just pop in on the Earth King," Joo Dee said.

"Why not? He's the Avatar," Suki asked.

A knock at the door immediately caught Joo Dee's attention, and she answered the door. Outside was a courier who handed a scroll to Joo Dee before leaving to complete other deliveries. After reading the scroll Joo Dee faced Aang. "You're request to see the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual."

"Seriously?" Haru asked.

"Six to eight weeks actually," Joo Dee said.

"We are not waiting that long," Aang said.

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world," Joo Dee excused.

"It won't be running much longer if we don't see him right away," Suki argued, getting up close to Joo Dee. "We need to see him about the war."

"You're in Ba Sing Se, everyone is safe here," Joo Dee said, completely dismissing Suki.

Suki wanted to punch Joo Dee for being so dismissive about a devastating war, but settled for turning around and dragging Aang and Katara into the next room. Haru stepped between Joo Dee and the door while Suki closed it. Locking the door and leading Aang and Katara to the other side of the room Suki believed that Joo Dee wouldn't be able to hear them talk.

"We're not going to get anywhere with her around," Suki said, jerking her thumb at the door.

Aang nodded, already wondering how he was going to get rid of Joo Dee. "So should we just knock her out here and move on to the Earth King?"

"Not subtle enough," Suki said.

"What do you have in mind?" Katara asked.

"Can you and Haru keep her busy for a few hours?" Suki asked.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Katara said.

In the evening everyone left the house, telling Joo Dee that they wanted to visit the palace right away. Suki let Joo Dee redirect them elsewhere, taking Appa to a marketplace in the middle ring. Deliberately asking any and every one questions regarding the war kept Joo Dee busy trying to keep them silent. When Joo Dee started getting visibly frustrated Suki led Aang away from the others, trusting Katara and Haru to keep Joo Dee busy.

Leaving her Kyoshi Warrior uniform in Appa's saddle, Suki wore a slimmer dark outfit for stealth. She led Aang back to the upper ring, taking a few hours to reach it without being seen. The palace was surrounded by dozens of guards, but Suki had Aang earthbend a tunnel beneath the ground to get around them. They had to go slow to minimize noise from earthbending, and prayed that they wouldn't hit any existing tunnels before reaching the palace.

After half an hour of tunneling Aang and Suki reached a cellar beneath the palace, which was filled with metal chains. Being careful not to touch anything Aang closed the hole in the wall from the tunnel, trying to make it appear that nothing was there. Suki walked over to the cellar door and carefully opened it, checking to see if anyone was in the hallway. She gestured for Aang to follow her out of the cellar, stealthily moving through the hallway.

Having no idea where the Earth King's throne room or personal chambers were located, Suki and Aang wandered the palace halls at random. Patrols roamed the halls as well, which required Suki to grab Aang by his shirt and pull him into dark corners until the patrols passed. A few people thought they heard something, but continued on to their business elsewhere. To avoid one patrol Suki ducked into a room, taking Aang into a study.

The study was large, and had a fireplace at the end that burned with low green flames. Several tables were inside with many papers and scrolls left on them, but were difficult to read in dim green light. It appeared as if someone had been examining the documents, but had to leave in a hurry. Aang grabbed the document on top, finding a disturbing report on it.

"What is all this?" Aang muttered. The top of the report read _Suspicious Persons: Monitor Closely _and had a list of names as well. At the top of the list was his name, followed by all of his friends. Other names followed, from Ayami to Jet to Zei.

Suki walked over to Aang and glanced at the list. "This cannot be good," she muttered.

Suddenly another door to the study opened, surprising Suki and Aang. They quickly ducked under the table, hoping that the poor lighting would conceal them. Entering the room was a middle aged man with a receding hairline, along with a woman in the same uniform as Joo Dee. The man took a seat in front of the fireplace with the woman stood in front of him.

"I trust that everything is in place for the King's bear's party?" the man asked.

"Of course Long Feng," the woman answered. "We'll be able to immediately evacuate the King should the Avatar make an appearance."

The sound of someone running in the hall outside caught both of their attention. A courier entered the room and handed a scroll to Long Feng, then immediately left. Long Feng quickly read the scroll and smiled. "This development should help keep the Avatar under control."

That comment got Aang's complete attention, and he almost moved to confront Long Feng before Suki grabbed Aang and covered his mouth with her hand. Suki knew that now was not the time to expose themselves without finding the King first. Aang had to stay silent and watch Long Feng pocket the scroll he had just received.

"Is there anything else?" the woman asked.

"No Joo Dee, that is all," Long Feng stated.

For a moment Suki wondered how Joo Dee got here so quickly, but the woman's voice was completely different from the Joo Dee she knew. Unless more than one woman had the same name, something strange was going on here. Before Suki could get a good look at her face Joo Dee left the study, closing the door behind her.

Long Feng walked over to the fireplace and added a few logs to build up the green fire. He tossed a few green crystals in it as well, which maintained the green color of the flames. With the fire bigger the green light shone on more of the room. Then he walked over the table that Suki and Aang were hiding under, and looked over the documents on it.

After a moment he noticed that one report was missing. "Where did I put that?" Long Feng muttered to himself, checking underneath the other papers on the table. Then he crouched to check the floor beneath the table. "What the…"

Immediately Aang bent a strong gust of wind at Long Feng, taking him by surprise and nearly blowing him into the fireplace. Retaliating Long Feng bent the crystals in the fireplace, lifting them up and throwing them at Aang. Still aflame the crystals nearly hit Aang before he shattered them with earthbending, scattering pieces of burning crystal across the study.

Green flames turned red as books and scrolls were set aflame. New light filled the study, revealing everyone in the room. "The Avatar…" Long Feng muttered, quickly trying to think of a way to turn the situation to his advantage. "If I had known you were coming I'd have dinner prepared."

"Where is the Earth King?" Aang demanded, only letting his guard down for a moment to extinguish the fires in the study.

After taking a moment to straighten his robes, Long Feng bent the ground beneath the piles of wood and crystal by the fireplace, tossing more fuel into the fireplace to refill it. "Now why would you go through all this trouble just to see him?" Long Feng asked.

"I need his army to win the war," Aang answered.

Suki stepped beside Aang. "Where is he?"

Long Feng sat down in front of the fireplace, facing Aang with his back to the green flames. "The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities."

"I'm not leaving until I get his support," Aang said.

"You'll be waiting a long time," Long Feng said. "The King only deals in cultural matters, I'm the one who runs this city."

"Then you can get us the army," Suki said.

"No, I don't think so," Long Feng said. "You are no military commander. You don't know the risks of war. Or that taking the army out of Ba Sing Se would cripple the city's defenses. Going on the offensive would cost countless lives, are you prepared to have their blood on your hands?"

"If you don't help us those people are going to die anyway," Aang argued. "The Fire Nation will not stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can help me prevent that and stop this war."

"Enough!" Long Feng shouted, standing up. "It is the policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. If continue your foolish quest you will be expelled from the city."

"You can't keep this a secret from everyone," Aang said.

"The people have a right to know," Suki said.

"You will be silent or you shall suffer the consequences," Long Feng threatened. He paused for a moment, then grinned. "Tell me Avatar, do you know where Katara is?"

The tone in Long Feng's voice told Aang that something had to be terribly wrong. Immediately he left the study, taking Suki with him and not caring about stealth anymore. Soldiers inside the palace were about to stop them when Long Feng gave an order to let them leave. Once Aang was outside he unfolded his glider and took off, letting Suki hang from his legs. Flying with a passenger was dangerous enough on its own, but doing it at night was reckless.

Flying straight to the house in the upper ring Aang found Appa waiting there in the backyard. Haru was outside throwing hay into Appa's mouth for him to eat. Seeing them relieved Aang a bit, but he wanted to be certain that Katara was alright. Aang landed in behind the house with Suki and then ran up to Haru. "Is Katara here?" Aang asked.

"We got separated in the marketplace after you two snuck away," Haru answered. "I just got back from there, maybe she's inside?"

Aang rushed inside the house through the backdoor, leaving both of his friends outside. "Katara!" he shouted, but there was no answer. He checked every room, finding no sign of her. "Where are you?" he muttered in the main room, just as Suki and Haru walked inside.

"Any sign of her?" Suki asked.

"Nothing," Aang answered. He hurried towards the door to get to Appa. "We need to look for her."

Haru grabbed Aang's arm to stop him. "It's the middle of the night," Haru said. "We're not going to find anyone in the dark."

"We'll get some rest and look for Katara first thing in the morning," Suki said.

Aang didn't want to wait, but his friends wouldn't budge on the issue. Under protest he walked to his room and crawled into bed. Worrying about Katara kept him awake for hours, but he eventually slept. The few hours Aang did sleep seemed to pass instantly, and Aang was the first to wake up in the morning.

About to head out the back door to search on Appa, the sound of the front door opening caught Aang's attention. Turning around he found Katara walk into the house. Immediately Aang rushed over to Katara. "You're back!" Aang shouted. "I was worried."

"I'm fine," Katara said.

"Where'd you go?" Aang asked. "Haru said you got separated yesterday."

"Yea, I turn my back for one minute and he and Appa are gone," Katara said. "Have you noticed that Appa tends to be gone right when you need him?"

"Can't say that I have," Aang answered. "So where did you stay last night?"

"Joo Dee showed me a place a friend of hers lives at," Katara said. "It's right on the edge of Lake Laogai."


	22. The Party

_A/N: The updates to this story are going to slow down for a while. Main reason for this is Legend of Korra, and the stories that I want to write based on that series. To be honest I'm surprised I managed to keep a schedule going for this long._

Chapter 21: The Party

While the sandbenders transported Professor Zei out of the desert, he spent every waking moment examining the ancient texts Sokka and Toph provided from the library. The written language for the blind was especially intriguing, having heard about it but never finding an intact example before. Reintroducing that form of writing would help so many others like Toph, born blind or lost their sight in war.

Sokka was grateful that he and Toph wouldn't have to try getting into Ba Sing Se on their own. Knowing nothing about the walled city, Sokka appreciated the value of having Zei as a guide. Though Zei had admitted to not having access to the palace, his connections at the university were better than nothing. As far as Sokka was concerned they couldn't get to Ba Sing Se fast enough.

The trip to Ba Sing Se took only a few days. After the sandbenders dropped them off at the edge of the desert Zei led the way to a hidden port, which housed several ferries that transported refugees to Ba Sing Se. Toph hated the idea of traveling by boat again, but the ferry ride was only for a day and on calm waters. When the ferry reached the other side of the lake Sokka, Toph, and Zei boarded a train that led into Ba Sing Se.

In the middle ring Zei brought Sokka and Toph to the University, where he taught the course on desert cultures during fall semesters. All of the professors had homes on campus, and Zei offered to let Sokka and Toph live in his home for the time being. Zei even offered them a scholarship to the University as a reward for the rare tomes, but Sokka and Toph both turned it down.

Inside Zei's rather small home Sokka watched the professor read through one of the old books. "So do you know a way that we can get to the Earth King?" Sokka asked, leaning against a wall.

"Well the Dean of the University usually gets an audience every other week," Zei said, not even looking away from the pages. "He's a good friend of mine, and might be able to bring you along on his next palace visit."

"And when is that?" Sokka asked.

Zei glanced over at a calendar on the wall, then frowned. "It's supposed to be tomorrow…"

"Great!" Toph interrupted, lounging on a couch.

"But the King's having a party tonight," Zei continued, looking at the scribbled note he had on the calendar. "Usually no one sees him after one of those for a month."

"A month!" Sokka shouted.

"You can blame the Cultural Minister for that," Zei said. He closed the book he was reading and opened another one. "He's really overprotective of the Earth King."

"Sounds like my dad would get along well with him," Toph said. Before she could elaborate Toph noticed someone walking towards the front door. "Are you expecting company?"

A second later there was a knock at the door. "Oh that's just the mailman," Zei said. "Could one of you get that please?"

"Sure," Toph said. She got up and walked to the front door, opened it and held her hands out. The mailman outside saw Zei in the back of the room, then handed Toph several envelopes. After closing the door Toph dumped the envelopes onto the table Zei was at. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Zei said, setting the book aside to check his mail. Flipping through the envelopes he tossed most of them aside to open later, knowing what to expect inside them. One large envelope was different, sealed with the University insignia.

"That looks important," Sokka observed.

Zei quickly opened the envelope and pulled out a letter from inside it. "It's from the Dean," Zei said.

_Dear Professor Zei_

_It seems that fate doesn't want us catching up in person these days. The moment I hear you're returning from the latest expedition I find that I must attend to matters in Gaoling. I'll be gone at least three weeks, if everything goes well. This means that I will miss the King's party for his bear, which I had to turn in a Lot of favors to get an invitation._

_Enclosed with this letter is my invitation, assuming you-know-who hasn't seized it. My signature on it will tell the palace guards that you can attend in my place. Someone has to represent the University, and no one else I trust is available. The invitation is also good for bringing one guest as well, though I leave who that will be up to your judgment._

_Sincerest apologies,_

_Dean Shan_

Zei reached into the envelope and found the promised invitation inside. It was a scroll with a drawing of the dean and his name displayed. Beside the text describing the scroll's purpose was a note meant to transfer the rights to the invitation to Professor Zei, and a crude drawing of his face. Dean Shan wasn't known for his artistic skills, which made the crude drawing appear authentic.

"So what does that all say?" Toph asked.

Sokka took a few steps to Zei and peered over his shoulder, reading the letter and the invitation. "I don't suppose we could borrow that?" Sokka asked.

"You wouldn't fit in there," Zei answered.

"He's right," Toph said. "They'd throw you out immediately."

"Why?" Sokka asked.

"No offense, but you've got no manners," Toph answered.

"Like you're one to talk," Sokka argued.

"I was taught to be civilized and chose to leave it," Toph explained. "You never learned anything."

"Maybe you can teach me?" Sokka said.

"Nope," Toph said. "I'd need at least a year to get you anywhere near presentable."

Sokka couldn't argue that point, since the party was tonight. "How about you get inside with Zei and open the door for me?"

"Do I have to be an accomplice to law breaking?" Zei asked.

"Nah, I got this," Toph said.

* * *

><p>In the evening Toph and Zei arrived at the palace, after finding suitable clothing to wear. Zei wore a professional business suit fitting a professor, and intended to make a good impression with potential university donors. Toph made a stop at the market for dress robes, and pretended to be a distant niece of Professor Zei.<p>

A line of guests waiting to be admitted was at the front doors to the palace, and guards were checking identities before letting people inside. "Invitations please," one guard asked when Zei and Toph reached the front of the line.

"Here," Zei said, handing the invitation.

The guard took a moment to examine the invitation, checking to be sure it really was the Dean's signature on it. "Welcome," the guard said, handing the invitation back to Zei.

Walking into the palace Zei and Toph followed earlier guests into the dining hall, where dozens of wealthy people mingled around long tables covered in nearly every kind of expensive food imaginable. At the head of one table was a brown bear wearing a green vest, eating anything and everything within reach of its paws. Toph stopped in her tracks when she noticed the bear, shocked that it was just a bear.

"This place is weird," Toph muttered.

Within minutes mingling with all the rich people reminded Toph of why she hated the life her parents tried to force on her. The men only cared about their wealth and taking more of it, and the women only cared about their appearance and wealth. All of them were completely detached from the reality everyone else in the city lived in, intentionally ignoring and worsening the problems of the poor simply to hoard more wealth for themselves. The sheer vanity sickened Toph, and she was glad that being born blind had prevented her from growing up to be just like them.

Fortunately for Toph she noticed that Sokka slipped inside the party disguised as a busboy. It seemed fitting, and Toph wanted one of the appetizers Sokka was carrying on a tray. She snuck up on Sokka and said "Another crab-puff please."

"There you are," Sokka whispered, holding out the tray for Toph to take a crab-puff. "Any sign of him?"

"Do you even know what he looks like?" Toph asked, then took a bite of her snack.

"I'm still working on that," Sokka admitted. He looked around, finding nothing that identified anyone as the Earth King. "He's got to show up at some point."

As if on cue doors in one corner of the room opened and a procession of palace guards emerged from it. Following them was a palanquin being carried into the room, with curtains slightly obscuring the view of the person inside. Every guest at that end of the room backed away, giving the guards plenty of room to protect the Earth King.

"I guess that's him," Toph muttered.

While the palanquin bearers moved the Earth King into the room Sokka and Toph moved through the crowd to reach him. Toph knew how to move through a crowd with ease, using her small size to slip through gaps between people and even in between their legs. Sokka, on the other hand, was shoving people out of his way.

The guards protecting the Earth King noticed Sokka, seeing him as a busboy that wasn't doing his job. One guard used a hand signal to alert several Dai Li agents that surveyed the crowd, telling them to intercept the busboy. They also spotted Toph reaching the front of the crowd, and alerted the Dai Li to apprehend her as well.

Dai Li agents swiftly moved in, bending stone gloves off their hands and sending them flying towards Sokka and Toph. In the air the rock gloves were invisible to Toph, and two pairs of them clamped down on her mouth and her arms. The agents summoned the gloves back, pulling Toph with them. Another pair of Dai Li grabbed Sokka with the rock gloves, pulling him out of the crowd. Professor Zei saw the Dai Li take Sokka and Toph, but knew that he was powerless to do anything about it.

Once the Dai Li had their captives out of the room they bound their hands together, forcing Sokka and Toph down a hallway and into Long Feng's study. Inside Sokka noticed several scorch marks scattered in the study, as if someone had carelessly tripped while carrying a pan of burning embers. Sitting in front of the fireplace was Long Feng, and with a hand motion he ordered the Dai Li to remove the bonds on the prisoners. Once the command was completed the agents stood by the door, waiting for another order.

"Now who might you two be?" Long Feng asked. He had been expecting the agents to intercept the Avatar at the party, not these two kids.

"We need to see the Earth King," Sokka demanded. "We have important information that could defeat the Fire Nation."

_Not another one… _Long Feng thought, getting sick of children thinking they knew better than someone that ran a city. "Take them to Lake Laogai," Long Feng ordered the agents at the door. "I have no time for this nonsense."

The Dai Li moved to apprehend Sokka and Toph again, about to launch their rock gloves. Knowing what to expect this time Toph bent the stone floor into a wall, embedding the rock gloves into it. Toph struck back by breaking the stone wall into large pieces and throwing them at the agents, striking several of them. The remaining agents spread out in the study, throwing more earth at Toph while other agents came in from the hallway.

Before she could be completely surrounded Toph bent the floor under Sokka, moving him into a corner of the study. A second later Toph backed into the same corner and started bending rock out of the walls as well as the floor. She earthbent a barrage of small stones at the Dai Li, pummeling the agents in front and pushing them back into their comrades. The agents threw more earth at Toph, but she blocked it all with rock from the floor and struck back with rock from the walls.

Still sitting in front of the fireplace Long Feng watched the fight. One by one the agents were struck down, and the bodies started piling up in his study. After the ninth agent hit the floor Long Feng had to admit that the little girl had talent for earthbending, talent that he could find use for. He held one hand up and said "Enough."

At once all of the Dai Li stopped the attack and backed off, pulling the fallen agents out of the study. Toph kept her guard up, just in case Long Feng changed his mind. "There's more where that came from!" Toph shouted.

"I'm counting on it," Long Feng said, standing up and taking a few steps to stand in front of Toph. He glanced at the wall behind Toph, observing that if any more earth had been removed it would have collapsed and brought the roof down. "It's seems there's more to you than meets the eye."

"What's it to you?" Toph asked.

Folding his arms around his chest, Long Feng grinned. "You've got a lot of power that could be put to good use, as a Dai Li agent."

After a moment of silence, Toph laughed. "Are you offering me a job?"

"I only take the best of earthbenders," Long Feng. "You're already better than the ones I have. Just imagine what you could do with proper training."

"I already am the greatest earthbender in the world," Toph bragged.

"Why settle for that?" Long Feng asked. "Not when you can become the greatest earthbender in history."

"That does sound tempting," Toph admitted.

Sokka couldn't believe that he was hearing this conversation. "Do I get a say in this interview?"

"Very well," Long Feng said. "What was it that you wanted to see the Earth King about?"

"There's a solar eclipse coming that will leave firebenders powerless," Sokka explained. "You could lead an invasion of the Fire Nation and end the war."

Long Feng wasn't convinced that Sokka's suggestion had any merit. "Do you have any idea how much planning and resources it would require to pull that off?"

"I never said this would be easy," Sokka said.

"Your ridiculous plan would require me to leave Ba Sing Se defenseless just to have the necessary manpower," Long Feng explained. "An invasion would never work with a window of opportunity only minutes long."

"You can't do nothing and let this opportunity slip through your grasp," Sokka argued.

"Oh I have no intention of doing nothing," Long Feng said, already thinking of ways to use the information to his advantage. "A smaller strike force, covertly smuggled into the Fire Nation, would be far more effective during a short time span."

"Ah, an assassination of the Fire Lord," Toph said.

"Exactly," Long Feng said. "Cutting off the head of their leadership will throw their forces into chaos. _That_ is the time for an invasion, not during some celestial alignment."

"I suppose that works just as well," Sokka said.

"Then we are in agreement," Long Feng said. "I trust that you know the exact date of the eclipse?"

Sokka walked over to a table and wrote down the date of the eclipse, then handed it over to Long Feng. "Just slightly over two months from now," Sokka said.

"Do I still get the job?" Toph asked.

"Of course," Long Feng said. Then he looked at Sokka. "I suppose I could also use a new archivist."


	23. The Tales of Ba Sing Se

_A/N: Today we'll be breaking format, using several smaller plots instead of a single plot for the entire chapter._

_Fortunately this resulted in a longer than normal chapter. Enjoy.  
><em>

Chapter 22: The Tales of Ba Sing Se

The Tale of Aang and Katara

Content to wait a few days before trying to reach the Earth King again, Aang decided to relax in the relative safety behind the city's walls. No Fire Nation soldiers, no sneaky archers, no crazy royalty, nothing that immediately wanted him dead. Aang felt that he deserved a mini vacation from being the Avatar, and that just a day relaxing wouldn't hurt anyone. In the morning of a beautiful day Aang quickly shaved off the fuzz of hair on his head that grew during the night.

After brushing her hair in the bathroom, Katara put her hair loops in place for the day. Smiling in the mirror she felt that today was going to be a good day. She walked out and into the main living room, where she found Aang eating a salad breakfast. "Hey Aang, got anything planned for today?" Katara asked.

"Not really," Aang admitted. "I thought about visiting the zoo."

"Where is it?" Katara asked.

"The lower ring," Aang answered.

"Is it any good?" Katara asked.

"I don't know," Aang admitted. "Let's check it out."

Together Katara and Aang walked into the backyard and climbed into Appa's saddle. The bison took off and flew towards the lower ring while the riders looked for the zoo. It wasn't difficult to find, as one of the larger facilities in the lower ring. Despite its size the zoo was crammed with cages with animals that were too big for them. The zoo was so compact that there wasn't a spot to land Appa without crushing something under his weight.

Still in the air Aang guided Appa in circles above the zoo. "Do you see a place Appa will fit?" Aang asked.

"Not without him getting stuck," Katara answered, looking over the side of the saddle. "There's nowhere to park in this part of the city."

"I guess I'll have to come back later on my glider," Aang said. He turned to face Katara. "Well I had nothing else in mind. Got any ideas?"

Thinking for a moment Katara thought of one place she would like to visit. "There are a couple of spas back in the upper ring. We could visit one of them."

"Okay," Aang said, making Appa turn around.

The flight back to the upper ring only took Appa a few minutes, and the spas were easy to spot from the air. Plenty of space was available in between each spa building, allowing Appa to land with ease. Looking around Katara and Aang saw several spas to choose from. There was the Fancy Ladies Day Spa for girls, the Proud Gentlemen's Club for boys, and the Couple's Paradise Resort for both.

"How about that one?" Katara suggested, pointing to the last spa.

"Couple's Paradise…" Aang muttered. "Sure, let's try it."

Inside the spa Aang and Katara were given the royal treatment, the people working there glad to serve the Avatar. Being the spa chosen by the Avatar was going to improve the spa's reputation, drawing customers away from the others. The best of the spa employees were tasked to make the Avatar's visit as pleasurable as possible, anything to leave a good impression on such an important patron.

First stop in the spa was the scented baths, where they had over two dozen varieties available. Aang chose one that smelled like peach and soaked in it until it seemed that the scent came out of his skin. Katara picked one with a rose scent, relaxing in it until her fingers started to wrinkle in the warm water.

Second was an hour long massage for Aang and Katara, focusing on their backs. Aang wished that it could last for days, relieving stress in places he didn't know he had. Katara nearly fell asleep during the massage, enjoying it far more than she knew she should. When the hour was up the next stop was the sauna, where the heat inside relieved stress where hands wouldn't be appropriate.

The final stop was a makeover for Katara and a head waxing for Aang. When it was over Aang liked his scalp's new shine, and not having to shave his head for at least a few days. Katara liked the makeup she received, appreciating the quality work put into it. With nothing else interesting them at the spa, Aang and Katara left.

Leaving the spa completely satisfied Aang and Katara had one more surprise. The spa had even cleaned Appa's fur, leaving the bison resembling a giant pillow with a face and horns. "Hey buddy, I see you've also had a good time" Aang said, and Appa yawned in response.

"This was completely worth it," Katara said.

"Yes it was," Aang said, far better than the zoo.

* * *

><p>The Tale of Suki<p>

With nothing important to do today Suki wandered the streets of Ba Sing Se. In her Kyoshi Warrior uniform she gathered odd looks from people in the upper ring, so she explored the other rings of the city. She felt the most comfortable in the lower ring, where most of the refugees had bigger concerns than the outfits of others.

Stumbling across a playground Suki watched several children playing a game of bending soccer. Kicking a ball and shaping the ground the kids enjoyed their game, until one of them accidentally kicked the ball through a window. Suki was waiting to see if the kids would apologize on their own until she saw the owner of the house, a large muscular brute of a man. Understanding completely, Suki watched the kids run away and followed them past a few alleys.

Once the kids were out of harm's way Suki walked into an alley, unaware of a homeless man waiting there. Armed with a knife the man got in Suki's way. "Hand over your money, now!"

"Seriously?" Suki asked, fingering her fans and wondering just how desperate the man was to mug someone that was armed.

"Now!"

Just before Suki could wipe the floor with the mugger she saw a teenage boy enter the other end of the alley, a boy with brown hair and wearing a red shirt with blue sleeves. "Leave the girl alone!" the boy demanded, drawing his hook-swords.

As the mugger turned to acknowledge the newcomer he left himself vulnerable to Suki. She whipped out her fans and struck the mugger's arm, forcing him to drop the knife. Another strike to his chest slammed the mugger into a wall, knocking the wind out of him. The mugger fell to the ground beside his knife, and Suki planted her foot on his chest.

The newcomer watched the near instant takedown, and whistled. "So much for rescuing the damsel in distress," he muttered, sheathing his hook-swords.

Suki stepped off the mugger and kicked the handle of the knife, making it skid across the alley. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I can handle myself."

"And quite well indeed," the stranger said. "My name is Jet."

"I'm Suki. Do you make a habit out of waiting for people to get mugged?"

"Oh no, this is just a shortcut I use to get to work," Jet answered. "I just ended my shift and just happened to arrive in time to watch you beat that guy senseless."

"Speaking of which…" Suki muttered, spotting the mugger running away. "Should we go after him?"

"Nah, I think he's learned his lesson," Jet said. "Say, are you in the mood for a cup of tea? A couple of friends of mine work at a tea shop nearby."

"Sure."

Jet led Suki several blocks down the street into a better part of the lower ring. Amongst several stores was the tea shop that Jet mentioned. Inside the shop had about a dozen customers, enough to keep two employees busy. Jet introduced Suki to the waitress Smellerbee and the tea maker Longshot. Neither of them had believed they could have normal jobs and a normal life before arriving in Ba Sing Se, or at least what passed for normal in the big city.

Smellerbee walked up to the table where Suki and Jet sat at. "Hey Jet, do you want the usual?" Smellerbee asked.

"Yes please," Jet answered.

"And for you?" Smellerbee asked, referring to Suki.

"Green tea please," Suki asked.

"Coming up," Smellerbee said. She walked to the back where Longshot was brewing tea and delivered the order.

Only nodding in response Longshot got to work on the order. Just a few minutes later he had the order ready. For Jet he made his specialty blend of tea earl grey, along with the green tea for Suki. The owner of the shop watched the delivery, glad that he found reliable employees.

When the order was delivered Suki and Jet tasted the tea. The strong flavor of the tea made Jet smile. "I never knew Longshot could make good tea until we came here."

Glancing at the back of the shop Suki looked at Longshot, observing how he never said a word. "I'm not surprised," Suki said. "He is quite the silent type."

Jet chuckled at the comment. "Yea, but he's a great guy. He's earned everything he has."

With a big gulp Suki finished her tea. She placed the cup on the table and dropped a few coins as well, enough to pay for both and a little extra. "Well it was nice meeting you," Suki said, standing up.

"Nice to meet you too," Jet said. "I don't suppose you might come back here again?"

"Possibly," Suki answered. "The tea here is great."

* * *

><p>The Tale of Toph and Haru<p>

Fresh out of a Dai Li training class in the middle ring, Toph walked through the wide streets. She was wearing a Dai Li hat and flexing her fingers with stone gloves on. The malleable rock on her hands felt like a second skin, and she liked the idea of carrying earth wherever she went. As she wandered past a group of middle ring merchants Toph overhead them talking about an earthbending tournament, and decided to give The Blind Bandit a proper debut in Ba Sing Se.

Meanwhile Haru also wandered the streets of the middle ring. On the side of a building he saw a poster for the earthbending tournament, and thought he had a shot at winning the prize money. He thought about telling Aang about it, but figured that having the Avatar compete would be cheating. Instead he tore off the poster and followed directions on it to the bending arena in the middle ring.

The earthbending tournament was held in an arena open to the sky, and any earthbender could sign up to compete. Inside the ring was a large square of raised stone, with a ten foot gap between the ring and the audience. Unlike the stone ledges at the arena in Gaoling, the audience would sit in actual cushioned chairs that were most comfortable closest to the ring. Dozens of Dai Li were stationed around the ring to divert stray boulders away from the audience during matches, protecting the nobles and wealthy that could afford front row seats.

Early in the afternoon everyone that wanted to compete had to sign up at the arena. In an office room Haru waited in line for a few minutes for his turn. Stepping up to a desk with an old lady behind it Haru said "I want to compete in the tournament."

"Name?" the old lady asked.

"Haru."

"_Stage_ Name?"

"Excuse me?" Haru asked.

The old lady sighed. "Something catchy, like that last guy who's using The Boulder."

"Oh…" Haru muttered, not expecting to need a fake name. "How about… The Prime Punisher?"

"Good enough," the old lady said, writing it down onto a name registry. "Move along."

Half an hour after Haru signed up Toph showed up to join the tournament. Registering as The Blind Bandit she was admitted into the competitors' waiting room. Over a hundred people were there waiting for a crack at the prize money, but only one would succeed. When the tournament began the competitors were taken out in pairs, one of each pair coming back before the next pair would leave.

Halfway through the first round Toph got her first match. She fought The Boulder, who claimed to have won Earth Rumble VI. Annoyed that someone took her old title while she was away, Toph humiliated The Boulder in their match. She hadn't even let him make a single attack, starting the match by bending the ground apart beneath The Boulder, splitting his legs apart. A boulder into The Boulder's chest immediately after threw him out of the ring, ending the match in victory for The Blind Bandit.

Near the end of the first round Haru got his first match. He fought a tall man with a large gut called The Hippo. During the match Haru focused on deflecting The Hippo's attacks, stalling until his opponent wore himself out. It didn't take long to exhaust The Hippo, who never stopped throwing earth at Haru. Once The Hippo was exhausted all Haru needed to win was a single strike to knock him out of the ring.

One by one competitors were eliminated from the tournament. The Blind Bandit was an instant favorite, the fans loving to watch big bulky men losing to a little girl. The Prime Punisher slowly gathered a loyal following with each match, rooting for the underdog of the tournament. People were already taking bets on who would win when they would eventually fight each other.

After defeating a woman going by The Tectonic Titan, Haru made it to the final round. Surprised that he made it so far in the tournament on his own, he was looking forward to facing The Blind Bandit. In one corner of the ring Haru waited for his opponent, and when Toph arrived she stood in the opposite corner. In the middle of the ring were an announcer in black and a referee in a white, about to start the match.

"Here we are folks! The championship battle!" The announcer gestured to Haru. "In this corner we have our cruising crusher, The Prime Punisher!" A portion of the audience cheered before the announcer gestured to Toph. "And in this corner we have our gouger from Gaoling, The Blind Bandit!" The audience cheered even louder.

The bald referee waited for the crowd to quiet down a bit before he would start the match. "Let's get it on!"

Once the announcer and referee were out of the way Toph started with a barrage of pebbles bent from the floor. Bringing his arms together Haru bent the pebbles together, forcing them into a dense boulder in front of him before throwing it back at Toph. With a punch Toph shattered the dense rock into a cloud of dust, shrouding the ring and giving her a sight advantage. Next thing the audience saw was Haru being ejected from the top of the settling dust cloud, falling towards the ground outside of the ring.

Thinking fast Haru bent the earth in the ring closest to where he was falling, separating a slab of stone from the rest of the ring. Pulling the slab towards himself Haru landed on it instead of the ground, then bent the slab back to the rest of the ring. As Haru fused the slab back into the ring the audience was completely silent, wondering if Haru's move was legal.

The referee looked at Haru, judging whether or not breaking apart the ring to avoid going out of bounds was a rule violation. "I'll allow it!"

Resuming the match Haru bent blocks of stone from the ring and threw them at Toph. She raised a wall of rock to block the stone, then threw the entire wall at Haru. While Haru bent the moving wall into dust Toph used the delay to bend a ton of rock around herself. In just a moment Haru faced a twenty foot tall Golem.

"Oh boy, this is not good," Haru muttered, just before dodging a punch from the Golem. When the Golem swung an arm at him Haru leaped on top of the arm, then struck it with his fist to break it off at the shoulder. With bending assisting his muscles Haru lifted the severed arm and smashed the Golem with it, shattering the arm and enough of the Golem's torso to reveal Toph inside.

Toph leapt out of the Golem as it crumbled onto the floor. "You know, you're the second person to beat that trick," Toph said.

"Thanks… I think," Haru said.

"Can you do this one?" Toph asked. She bent earth into a suit of armor, leaving only her mouth exposed to breath.

"Neat trick," Haru said. Mimicking his opponent Haru made his own suit of earth armor, only instead he left his face uncovered. Then he made a plate of stone cover his mouth and charged at Toph.

Pulling back his fist Haru moved to punch Toph, but she ducked under the arm and hit Haru's gut. Stone protecting it cracked under the force of blows, coming apart after the fifth strike. Haru brought his fists down on Toph's head, breaking the stone on it and his fists. Toph brought her fists up into Haru's jaw, breaking the stone that covered his mouth. As Haru stumbled back Toph launched the stone on her fists into Haru, pushing him off the side of the ring and onto the ground below.

Out of bounds, Haru lost the match. As he got up he could hear the crowd cheering for his opponent's victory, though he could still hear a few girls claiming they loved him anyway. While he may have lost the tournament, Haru was happy that he made it farther than expected.

The referee walked over to Toph's side. "And the winner is…" The referee took Toph's hand and raised it above her head. "The Blind Bandit!"

* * *

><p>The Tale of Sokka<p>

Working as an archivist for the Dai Li was incredibly boring for Sokka. His main task was analyzing reports from agents in the lower ring, determining which were worth Long Feng's attention. Reports that weren't worth the Grand Secretariat's time were filed away for later reference, just in case a minor dissenter became a problem later. Sokka didn't like the work, but it was a price to pay for getting Long Feng to support taking action on the Day of Black Sun.

Reports from across the lower ring gave Sokka a clear picture of life in that part of the city. Living there was difficult for nearly everyone, refugee and local alike. Anyone with some level of desirable skill would be removed to the middle ring, the better conditions there keeping the skillful content. Occasionally a refugee could earn a place in the upper ring, but they were few and far between. For most people the conditions were barely good enough to survive, but the hope of advancing to a better ring and fear of the Dai Li kept the populace from revolting.

Sitting at a desk in an upper ring office Sokka was nearly finished with his work for the day. There were several other archivists in the same room, and a Dai Li agent at the door keeping an eye on them. Sokka knew that the Dai Li didn't trust him yet, and likely wouldn't for quite some time. The agent almost caught him stuffing a report about Jet into his pocket. While Sokka didn't like the guy he didn't think Jet deserved whatever the Dai Li did to dissenters.

"Last one…" Sokka muttered, looking over the final report of the day. It was a profile log of a recent refugee named Li Mei, standard examination for everyone that did not arrive by ferry. She was described as an early teen with black hair and suspiciously light skin, though the agent that wrote the report suggested that she might be a half-breed from a Fire Nation colony. The report recommended that Li Mei should be lightly monitored, due to asking too many questions about how to reach the palace.

Something didn't seem right about the girl in the report to Sokka. In the report it appeared that Li Mei wasn't settling into a new life in Ba Sing Se, as if she were expecting to leave at any moment. She also ordered a lot of take-out for her meals, something that refugees simply did not do in the lower ring. Either she was a terrible cook or had more money than she let on, possibly both.

"Hey, uh, Lee is it?" Sokka said, asking the Dai Li agent watching him. "Can you get someone to check this person out? Her story doesn't add up."

Agent Lee stepped outside the door to the office for a few seconds, then came back inside. "Everyone else already left for the day," Lee said. Walking over to Sokka's desk he looked at the last report. "How about you take care of this one?"

"Really? You trust me enough for this?" Sokka asked.

"No… But I have other things to take care of," Lee said. "Besides, your shift is just about done anyway."

After taking a moment to tidy up Sokka left the office building and headed for the lower ring. With the report in hand Sokka searched for the place Li Mei worked, a cheap salon next to the wall between the lower and middle rings. It was right next to the gate in the wall, positioned to catch the eye of people that passed through the gate and refused to pay the expensive prices at the upper ring spas.

Arriving at the salon in the late afternoon, Sokka stepped inside to find many women coming and going. Feeling really out of place Sokka hesitated to approach a girl behind a counter by the back wall. The secretary had brown hair and brown eyes, and there was a sign on the counter that said her name was Jin.

"Hello there, welcome to the Dangerous Lady Salon," Jin said. "Where every makeover makes you drop dead gorgeous."

Slowly Sokka walked up to Jin, twiddling his thumbs. "Hi, um, is Li Mei available?" Sokka asked.

Jin looked down at Sokka's hands, seeing that his fingernails were short and slightly chewed. "You must be here for one of her wonderful manicures," Jin said.

"Um, yes," Sokka said.

"Right this way," Jin said. She led Sokka into a hallway towards another room. "Li Mei is really good with nails, but don't let her touch your hair."

Sokka wasn't sure how to respond to that tip. "I'll take your word for it."

Inside the new room were several chairs and counters with tools and nail polish on them. A few of the chairs had girls and women sitting in them with employees working on their hands. Jin saw Li Mei finishing up a young girl's nails. "Li Mei, I've got a challenge here for you."

When Sokka saw Li Mei walk over he could swear he'd seen someone just like her before, but couldn't place it. She had light skin and black hair in long bangs, and her eyes were bright amber. She moved as if she should be running the place, not merely working there. The green clothes she wore did not seem like the right color for Li Mei, or for the Fire Nation Princess Azula.

Azula would have noticed the awkward stare from the Sokka, if she hadn't been giving one as well. She could swear she'd seen someone just like him before, but couldn't place it. Though most Water Tribe peasants looked the same to her, there was something oddly familiar about this one. A nagging feeling told Azula that she should find out who this boy is.

Jin noticed the awkward stares between Sokka and Azula. "I see you two already know each other," Jin said. "I'll be out front if you need me."

Once Jin was out of the room Azula focused on Sokka. "Alright, let's see your hands."

"Like this?" Sokka asked, holding both hands in front of him.

One look told Azula that not much could be done for Sokka's short and rough fingernails. "I'll do what I can. Sit."

Taking a seat Sokka let Azula work on his nails. She only needed five minutes to file down the rough edges and clip off a few hangnails. While she worked Sokka got a good look at Azula's nails, nearly perfect and sharp enough to cut skin. "Did you practice on your own nails?" Sokka asked.

"Naturally," Azula said. "What was your name again?"

"Sokka."

"So where did you hear about me?" Azula asked.

"If I told you I'd have to kill you," Sokka said.

"The Dai Li then," Azula guessed. Before Sokka could deny anything she cut him off. "I'd have to be blind to not see them watching everyone."

"Okay, you got me," Sokka said.

A moment later Azula finished with Sokka's nails. They were still dull, but any sharpening would make his fingers bleed. "Done," Azula said and put the nail file away.

Getting up Sokka looked at his smoothened nails, then reached into his pocket for some money. "How much do I owe you?" Sokka asked.

Still curious about Sokka, Azula quickly thought up an excuse to not let him leave her sight. "You could buy me dinner."

Half an hour later Sokka and Azula arrived at a restaurant in the middle ring. A waiter showed them to a table outside and gave them some time to choose a meal. The restaurant was out of turtle-duck, so Azula ordered a rabbaroo steak. Sokka ordered a dish of ocean cumquats, the closest the restaurant had to sea prunes.

While waiting for the food to arrive Sokka felt like making small talk. "So when did you arrive in the city?"

"About a week ago," Azula answered. All she had to do to get inside was swallow her pride and pretend to be a common refugee. She didn't have much of a plan in Ba Sing Se, just trying to find any weaknesses in the city and exploit them. "How about you?"

"Same," Sokka answered. He figured now was the time to ask a question he wanted since he met Azula. "Have I met anyone in your family before? You look really familiar."

"I don't think so," Azula said. She made a mental note to never let Sokka meet Zuko anytime soon. "So what do you do in this city?"

"Nothing important really," Sokka said. "I'm more of a glorified bookkeeper than anything else."

"For the Dai Li?" Azula asked.

"Yeah, I kind of stumbled into the job," Sokka said.

The waiter returned and delivered the meals Sokka and Azula ordered. They didn't talk while eating, since Azula believed it wasn't proper and Sokka couldn't with his mouth constantly full. Sokka finished first with his plate a mess of cumquat scraps, while Azula took her time savoring the rabbaroo meat. Once she was finished the waiter took the plates away and let Sokka and Azula order dessert.

While she waited Azula decided to explore what possible connections Sokka might possess in the Dai Li. Her efforts before meeting him had all run into a brick wall. "I suppose you've met the guy who runs the Dai Li?" Azula asked.

"Oh yea," Sokka said, leaning back in his chair. "I've met Long Feng. He's the real person running the whole city."

"I don't suppose you can arrange a meeting with him?" Azula asked. "Or at least put in a good word?"

Sokka shook his head. "I'm not that high up on the food chain. But I could ask my friend to look the other way if she's nearby."

"You have a friend in the Dai Li?" Azula asked, curious about another possible lead into the organization.

"Only the greatest earthbender in the world," Sokka said, stealing Toph's favorite brag. "She's the person Long Feng wanted on the payroll, I'm just part of the complete package."

"Interesting," Azula muttered. Then she saw the waiter come back with dessert, strawberry fruit tarts with cream on top. "I'd love to meet this friend of yours."

Sokka thought about having her meet Toph, who could tell when people were lying. He put the thought out once he realized he was thinking like a Dai Li spy. "That might not be a good idea," Sokka said. "There's enough attention on you without bringing the star agent into the picture."

"What do you mean?" Azula asked. She thought the agent she spotted a few times was standard for everyone.

Feeling guilty about his original motive for finding Li Mei, Sokka reached into his pocket and pulled out the report on her. "Well this makes you look suspicious," Sokka whispered, sliding the report over to Azula.

Quickly reading the report Azula understood why she would be watched. She had thought nothing about ordering so many meals, since her first attempt at cooking at been a disaster. "So I should keep a low profile for a while," Azula whispered.

"That's the idea," Sokka said. He quickly ate his fruit tart, then got up to pay the bill. "I guess I'll see you around."

"Count on it," Azula said, finally making progress infiltrating the city.

* * *

><p>The Tale of Zuko and Mai<p>

Getting inside Ba Sing Se had been far easier than Zuko had expected. Following Azula's lead he posed as a refugee with Mai, where no one batted an eye at seeing a displaced couple. No one at the wall or behind it was looking for Fire Nation royalty among Earth Kingdom peasants, allowing them to hide in plain sight. While acting like a peasant should have been beneath Zuko, he relished the opportunity to be outside the scrutiny of his nation. As Lo and Lee, the city only saw a normal teenage couple among the other refugees.

Taking jobs at a weapons shop in the lower ring provided a suitable cover for Zuko and Mai. The prince knew quality dao swords when he saw them, having dabbled with sword fighting in private. He started carrying a pair of swords with him in the city, just in case he needed to fend off a mugger. Mai was surprisingly good at selling throwing knives, usually sealing a deal by showing how accurately she could throw them.

On a day that the shop was closed Zuko and Mai wandered the streets of Ba Sing Se. "This city is boring," Mai complained.

"Everything is boring to you," Zuko said.

"There's got to be something to do," Mai said.

As if on cue a large shadow passed over them, making Zuko look up to see an outline of a sky bison overhead. "That will work," Zuko said.

Following the bison lead them to a zoo in the lower ring, one that was in terrible condition. As a boy Zuko had visited a zoo in the Fire Nation, but that one had habitats bigger than the entire facility here. It was pathetic, and while inside Zuko believed that Mai looked even more bored than physically possible. They waited for the bison to land so that they could track the Avatar, but the beast only circled above.

"Why isn't it landing?" Zuko muttered. For minutes he watched the bison drift in a lazy circle.

Mai made a few glances around the cramped zoo. "Maybe it's afraid of getting stuck?"

The bison stopped circling the zoo and flew away, heading towards the upper ring. Zuko and Mai tried following it, but the bison passed the wall between rings far from any of the gates. They weren't even halfway to a gate when the bison was out of sight behind the wall. It quickly became clear that they weren't going to reach the Avatar today.

"Well that wasted half an hour," Mai said.

"Guess I'll have to find something else to liven up your day," Zuko said.

Back to wandering the lower ring Zuko and Mai walked down one of the many back alleys of the city. They walked past a homeless man with a knife, who wasn't nearly desperate enough to mug a couple. Entering the next alley they found a group of children running through it, paying no attention to Zuko or Mai as they ran past them. Immediately after the children a large muscular man ran past, chasing the children.

While Zuko was confident that the children would get away safely, he was still annoyed that the man chasing him had yet to be arrested by police. Then he saw Mai take a knife and throw it into the heel of the man chasing the kids, crippling the leg and bringing him down. Zuko felt no pity for the man, believing that he got what he deserved for targeting children.

"Who knew you had a soft spot for kids?" Zuko asked.

"They reminded me of my brother," Mai answered.

Leaving the crippled man behind Zuko and Mai headed for the middle ring. They passed through a gate between rings and explored the wider spaces the middle ring housed. Seeing a crowd of people walking by Zuko was curious about where they were going. The crowd stopped outside an arena, and the people in it started buying tickets to see an earthbending tournament.

Zuko checked his pockets to be certain of how much money he brought with him. "Want to see a show?" he asked Mai.

Mai glanced at the arena and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

After buying a pair of tickets Zuko led Mai inside the arena. Their seats were halfway between the front row and the nosebleed section, providing a decent view of the ring. Before the tournament began Zuko bought drinks for himself and Mai, and got annoyed at the higher than normal prices inside the arena. By the time the tournament began the arena was packed with spectators, many of which were gambling on the matches.

"Take any bets yet?" Zuko asked as he settled into his seat next to Mai.

"You know I don't gamble," Mai answered, taking a drink out of Zuko's hand. It was filled with black tea.

Watching the tournament provided a decent display of what Ba Sing Se's earthbenders were capable of. Most of them were pathetic and wouldn't last five minutes in a battle with Fire Nation soldiers. Without constant threat of attack the locals had let their skills decay over time. The victors of the first round all either served on the outer wall or lived in another part of the Earth Kingdom. Zuko believed that if the wall fell the benders inside would not stand a chance against the Fire Nation.

Near the end of the first round Zuko found a little surprise. He recognized one of the combatants. "Is that who I think it is?" Zuko muttered.

Mai saw the young girl fighting a large muscular man and easily beating him. "Looks like she survived the siege."

Keeping a close eye on The Blind Bandit during the tournament, Zuko learned much about her. She was clearly far more dangerous with home field advantage, nearly unstoppable when surrounded by earth. The only vulnerability seemed to be projectiles in the air, as she seemed to react to her opponent's bending motions than the projectiles themselves. None of the other earthbenders picked up on the weakness, stubbornly refusing to be creative with their bending.

Only in the final match did The Blind Bandit face a creative opponent. The Prime Punisher compressed his opponent's rock barrage and threw it back, broke apart the ring itself to keep from out of bounds, and improvised a version of rock armor. The match was the best of the night, but in the end The Prime Punisher wasn't skilled enough to win.

"And the winner is… The Blind Bandit!"

Mai stood up from her seat to leave. "I'm hungry," she muttered.

"Well we're not eating here," Zuko said, getting up as well. "The food is too expensive, even for a prince."

As the audience left after the tournament Zuko and Mai exited the arena. Zuko looked for a good place to eat that wasn't busy, which took a while. Near dusk he found a restaurant that was only moderately busy and brought Mai inside. After a short wait a waitress led them to a table, and along the way Zuko saw Azula sitting nearby. A moment later Zuko recognized a boy that Azula was sitting with.

"What is this, find old enemies day?" Zuko muttered.

Zuko made certain that the table the waitress provided was behind the Water Tribe boy before sitting down. He faced away from the boy just in case he turned around. Zuko kept his voice down in the restaurant, trying to listen in on Azula's conversation. Noise from other customers blocked most of the dialogue, disappointing Zuko.

After a meal of jackalope stew Zuko waited for Azula to finish. He and Mai had to order dessert to buy time and avoid looking suspicious, ordering fruit tarts with rose petals on top. Zuko saw the Water Tribe boy leave first, exiting the dining room to pay his bill. A moment later Zuko heard someone else approach his table.

"How long have you been there?" Azula asked

"Long enough," Zuko answered, trying to bluff. "So who's the boyfriend?"

"What?" Azula stuttered. "He's no friend of mine."

"Could have fooled me," Mai said.

Azula slammed her palm onto the table hard enough to shake dishes on it. "He just happens to be my lead into the Dai Li."

"You mean _our_ lead," Zuko said.

"Don't fool yourself," Azula said. "He recognized the family resemblance, but didn't put two and two together."

"Or you just want him all to yourself," Mai suggested.

Clenching her fists Azula had to focus to prevent smoke from rising between her fingers. "If we were anywhere else you wouldn't say that."

"But we are here aren't we," Zuko said. He got up from his seat to leave. "Well go have fun with your Water Tribe refugee."

After paying the bill for the meal Zuko left the restaurant with Mai. It was getting late in the evening and Zuko wanted to head back to the apartments to rest. The streets in the lower ring began to clear up as people returned to their homes, trying to avoid the criminals that came out at night. After dark no one walked in the streets alone.

Confident that he could handle anything from the lower ring, Zuko took his time walking through the emptying streets. All Zuko wanted at the moment was to enjoy the walk with Mai, everything else could wait. Along the way to the apartments Zuko found a place that seemed to resemble Mai, a fountain surrounded by torches that were not lit. It was dark and grim, just like the restrained personality that Mai showed in public.

"Gee, isn't this place depressing," Mai said.

"You certainly would know," Zuko said, inching towards Mai's side.

"I suppose if those torches were lit, this would be a romantic place," Mai said.

Zuko took a moment to look around and found no one else nearby. Then he started shooting small flames at the torches, quickly lighting them with very little effort. In under half a minute Zuko was finished, and the lights filled the fountain and reflected off the water. "Better?" Zuko asked.

Mai gave a slight nod. "Risky."

"I'd risk anything, just to see you smile."

Getting close to Zuko's perfect face, Mai gave a small smile. "You succeeded."

Right there, next to the shining fountain, Zuko and Mai kissed. Absorbed in the moment they enjoyed it and each other, nothing else mattered. Not the enemy territory, not the unconventional courting, nothing but Mai was important to Zuko during the moment. The kiss ended all too soon for Zuko, though he would cherish the memory.

"That was worth the risk," Zuko said.

Mai grabbed Zuko's shirt with her left hand and place her right finger on his chest. "Don't ever do that again."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Let's see here... I've blatantly shipped Kataang, set up Jetki, a tiny bit of Toru, implied Sokkla, and continued Maiko, all in one chapter. Please tell me which ones work, which ones don't, and whether or not I should even bother with shipping at all._


	24. The Betrayal

_A/N: Here we are, one year after I started this story on a whim. Looking back, a lot did not go as planned. Some ideas were made as this story progressed, others had to be dropped in favor of better ones. Let's just hope this story can be completed before the two year mark._

Chapter 23: The Betrayal

Two weeks after first arriving in Ba Sing Se, Aang was ready to try reaching the Earth King again. Despite the warning from Long Feng, Aang needed the Earth King's army to help win the war. Throwing stealth out the window Aang and his friends rode on Appa straight to the palace. In the middle of the day Appa could be seen flying from across the upper ring, and the people in the saddle had a clear view of the palace.

"Are you sure this is a smart idea?" Katara asked.

"If you have something better, I'm all ears," Aang said.

"Too late!" Suki yelled. She pointed towards the ground in front of the palace, where guards were earthbending projectiles at Appa.

Massive chunks of rock bent by multiple earthbenders were hurled through the air towards Appa. The sky bison weaved through the sky dodging rock. Looking back Aang could see the thrown rocks falling towards the buildings of the upper ring. Aang was about to turn Appa around to do something about the collateral damage the guards were causing, but then he saw earthbenders on the ground diverting the falling rocks away from civilians and property.

"Faster Appa, yip yip," Aang said.

Flying as fast as he could go Appa headed towards the palace entrance. In front of the entrance were hundreds of steps filled with palace guards. Appa landed at the top of the stairs while Aang and Haru leaped out of the saddle. Both of them hit the ground at the same time, bending the stone steps into a steep ramp. The guards on the steps slid to the bottom, holding them at bay until they could get some earthbenders to restore the steps.

Guards that were still above the ramp bent stone blocks out of the ground and threw them at Aang and his friends. Aang and Haru blocked the attacks with walls of earth while Katara and Suki struck back. Katara took out the guards on the group's left with waterwhips while Suki fought the ones on the right with her metal fans.

"Sorry about this," Katara said as she took out the guards.

Everyone entered the palace, keeping Appa behind to guard the rear. Aang and Haru took the lead, using earthbending to knock down doors in the search for the Earth King. Rather than trying to figure out which room the king was in they simply hit every room. They felt like idiots when they found the big fancy doors at the end of the main hallway. Taking one door each Aang and Haru broke the hinges with earthbending and knocked down the doors.

Inside the throne room were fifty of Dai Li agents, waiting for the Avatar. The throne itself was empty, the Earth King nowhere in sight. Instead Long Feng stood in front of the throne, and standing at his right hand was a young girl. Wearing a Dai Li uniform modified to fit her small size, Agent Bei Fong recognized one of the intruders. Despite the different outfit, Haru recognized the eyes of Ba Sing Se's earthbending champion.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Haru muttered, the memory of defeat still fresh in his mind.

"Where is the Earth King?" Aang demanded, wielding his staff in both hands.

Katara bent water around her arms, ready to fight at any moment. "Um, Aang, we're kind of outnumbered."

"Since when has that stopped us?" Suki asked, wielding her war fans.

Long Feng observed the Avatar and his friends, considering how to let events play out. He had the Earth King safely kept away in his teahouse, entertained by a mute teamaker. For the moment Long Feng believed that now was the best opportunity to test his newest recruit. "Agent Toph, take them into custody."

"You got it boss," Toph said, cracking her knuckles beneath rock gloves. She threw her hands forward, bending her gloves and the gloves of all the agents in front of her. The other agents were surprised to find their rock gloves launching on their own, all at once.

Aang and Haru bent the stone floor into a wall, just in time to hear a hundred impacts on the other side. Then they broke the wall into pieces and bent them at the agents, hitting half a dozen of them. Katara whipped her water immediately after the earthbending, taking out four more. Following the strike was Suki, striking two more.

The remaining agents bent more stone from the floor and threw it at Aang and the others. Aang started blasting fire at the bent stone, breaking them into clouds of dust and smoke. With airbending Aang formed a smokescreen and spread it over the Dai Li. The trick didn't fool Toph, but it was enough for Aang and his friends to bring down a dozen agents before the smokescreen cleared.

Toph shook her head as the agents fell too easily. "Do I have to do everything myself?" she muttered. A wave of a hand bent the floor in front of her, moving agents on it out of her way. Forming a small mound of rock beneath her feet Toph rode on it into the battle, heading straight for Haru. The two earthbenders collided, Toph's momentum carrying them out of the throne room as they clashed.

With one member of the team out of the larger battle, Aang and the others grouped closer together to focus their efforts. Katara used her water to catch and block incoming earthbending while Aang attacked with earth and firebending. Suki covered gaps in Katara's defenses and hit agents that got too close with her fans. One by one the agents fell, leaving piles of unconscious bodies around the Avatar and two friends.

"Impressive teamwork," Long Feng commented after the last agent fell. He could hear the sound of earthbending coming from the hallway, showing that Toph was still occupied with Haru. "It's a shame you've chosen to get on my bad side."

"It ends here Long Feng!" Aang shouted.

"Yes, but not in the way you're expecting," Long Feng said. His gaze settled on Katara, who was holding water in a whip in front of her. "Katara, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

Water splashed on the floor as Katara abruptly lost her focus. Her pupils dilated and her sense of self vanished. "I am honored to accept his invitation."

Bending the spilled water off the floor Katara threw it at Aang, catching him by surprise. The water wrapped around Aang and pushed him into a wall, then froze into ice binding him. Aang was speechless, the thought of Katara betraying him simply didn't work in his mind. Suki nearly dropped her fans in shock, leaving herself vulnerable to a punch in the face from Katara's fist. The blow knocked out Suki, and the pain in Katara's hand snapped her out of Long Feng's brainwashing.

"What the…" Katara muttered, shaking pain out of her hand. She saw Suki on the floor and Aang stuck to a wall, horrified at what she had just done.

Long Feng shook his head, remembering that Katara's mindbending had to be rushed to get her back to her friends without being missed. The mindbenders only had enough time to suppress the memory of the mindbending and plant two simple commands, one to make her attack the Avatar and one to make her passive. "Katara, the Earth King had invited you for tea time."

Immediately Katara's arms went limp and she dropped to her knees, staring into open space.

"What have you done to her?" Aang demanded, trying to free himself from the ice. He couldn't move any arms or legs to bend with.

"You should be more worried about what I'm going to do to you," Long Feng said. He walked over to Aang, bent some stone around his fist and struck the side of Aang's head. Instantly the Avatar was out cold, ready to be taken to Lake Laogai.

Just when Long Feng felt that he had everything wrapped up he heard Toph walk back into the throne room, dragging an unconscious Haru behind her. "I win again," Toph bragged.

A few Dai Li agents entered the throne room behind Toph. "Sir, there's no sign of the sky bison outside."

"What!" Long Feng shouted. "How does a ten ton beast just disappear?"

* * *

><p>That afternoon Azula was in the middle ring heading for the University. She claimed to be interested in enrolling at the University, specifically in the desert cultures courses. In reality Azula was trying to reach the Dai Li archivist Sokka, who lived at the University with one of the professors. Azula's patience with the charade as a refugee was wearing thin, forcing her to act now.<p>

Conventional methods to infiltrate Ba Sing Se from the lower ring had all failed. Refuges had no power in the city, no representation in their government. Everything was controlled by the Dai Li, even the Earth King was just a puppet. While the people of the city hated and feared the cultural police, they lacked the courage to fight back. The only way to bring down Ba Sing Se from the inside was to get inside the Dai Li.

All Azula needed to find Sokka was to ask a few students if they had seen a Water Tribe boy living on campus. Very few people from the Water Tribe lived in Ba Sing Se, and even less enrolled at the University. Students directed Azula to the housing section of the campus, identical rows of houses identified by names written on mailboxes. At the end of one row was the home of Professor Zei, and Azula walked up to the front door and knocked on it.

When the door opened Azula found Professor Zei answering. "Hello, is Sokka home?" Azula asked.

"Hang on," Zei said. He walked inside and called for Sokka, and a few seconds later Azula heard him walking towards the door.

Sokka saw Azula on the other side of the opened door. "Li Mei, what brings you here?" Sokka asked.

"May I come in?" Azula asked.

"Sure," Sokka said. He welcomed Azula into the house, leading her into a living room that was the same size as her whole apartment in the lower ring.

Finding a couch in the room Azula took a seat on it. Sokka sat down on the other end of the couch, facing Azula. "So Sokka, am I still being suspected by the Dai Li?" Azula asked.

Sokka shrugged. "They took me off your case for breaking protocol."

Azula laughed a bit. "I suppose Long Feng doesn't want his people getting too close to suspects."

"Probably," Sokka said, snickering for a moment.

"Is your agent friend here?" Azula asked.

"No, I haven't seen Toph all day," Sokka answered. "But I'm certain she's alright."

"How can you be so sure?" Azula asked.

Sokka started counting on his fingers. "First, she can kick pretty much anyone's butt. Second, she can tell when people are lying. Third, she can see everything on the ground within at least thirty feet in every direction. Fourth, I think Long Feng might be setting up Toph as the heir to his whole conspiracy."

"What?" Azula questioned, not expecting the last one.

"Well Long Feng isn't getting any younger," Sokka said. He pushed his hair back, trying to mimic Long Feng's receding hairline. "He's got to retire at some point and let someone else take over."

"But why pick your friend?" Azula asked. "Didn't Long Feng only just hire her?"

"True," Sokka said. "But ten years from now, after Toph grows up and Long Feng grows old, who knows?"

As far as Azula wanted, neither of them would be around in ten years to find out. "Do you have an idea when Toph will get back?"

"I don't have a clue what she's doing…" Sokka was interrupted by a distant roar from outside. "What the…"

Azula was already getting off the couch and heading for the door. Outside she heard the roar again, from nearly directly above. Looking up Azula saw a sky bison circling the sky, slowly descending towards the University. It seemed to be searching for something, but lacked a guide to find it. "What is that thing doing here?"

"What thing?" Sokka asked, getting out the front door. Then he spotted the bison flying towards the ground. "It's the Avatar's bison." Sokka's face lit up with joy. "Katara's here!"

_Where have I heard that name before? _Azula wondered. "Who's Katara?"

Before Sokka could answer the question the sky bison landed in the University. It sniffed the air and wandered in between the rows of houses. Azula couldn't see anyone in the bison's saddle, and it seemed to be relying on its nose instead of its eyes. The bison wandered towards Sokka, sniffed the air again, then started running towards him.

"Whoa there," Sokka said, too late to stop Appa from pouncing on him and licking Sokka's face. "Where's your buddy?"

Appa got off Sokka, faced the upper ring and started growling. Nearby students and professors backed away, either heading into their homes or leaving the University altogether.

"That can't be good news," Azula said. She kept her distance from Appa, just in case he recognized her.

"Is Aang in danger?" Sokka asked. When Appa growled louder towards the upper ring Sokka's worry only grew. "Is Katara in danger?" Appa roared again and stomped a foot into the ground. Then he turned and tilted his saddle towards Sokka, as if asking him to get in. Sokka climbed into the saddle, then looked at Azula. "Are you coming?"

Azula hesitated, then slowly stepped towards Appa. She expected the bison to attack at any moment, but he didn't recognize her. The closest Azula had ever gotten to Appa was in the stronghold she tried to hold the Avatar captive, and she didn't fight the bison there. "I've never flown before," Azula admitted as she climbed into the saddle behind Sokka.

"Me neither," Sokka admitted. He leaned over the front of the saddle towards Appa's head. "Alright, take us to Katara."

Suddenly Appa took to the air, prompting both of his riders to scream. The bison flew straight for the upper ring, past the fancy homes and heading for the palace. When Appa reached the center of the ring he flew high above the palace and circled it, keeping his distance from Dai Li on the ground. Sokka and Azula peered over the sides of Appa's saddle.

Sokka whistled when he saw hundreds of Dai Li swarming the palace grounds. "Those are not good odds."

Azula pointed at the entrance to the palace. "Do you see that?" She spotted four groups of five agents carrying an unconscious Avatar and his friends. "The Dai Li have the Avatar."

"And Katara," Sokka said, barely recognizing her from the air. "Appa, go down."

"Are you nuts?" Azula yelled. "We'd never get to them."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Sokka asked.

"Give me a minute," Azula answered. While she liked the thought of the Avatar rotting in a Dai Li prison, this was an opportunity to make Sokka help her get inside the Dai Li. "They must have some kind of prison. Maybe we can sneak inside?"

"Not with hundreds of agents watching," Sokka argued.

"Hundreds watching the Avatar," Azula corrected. "But what if we followed them after arresting someone else?" She knew just the person to take the fall for her plan.

* * *

><p>In the evening Zuko was taking inventory at the weapons shop he and Mai worked at for their charade. He was planning to sneak into the upper ring in the middle of the night for reconnaissance, to try and find a possible flaw in the palace security. Mai was stocking up on throwing knives, storing them in dozens of hidden pockets in addition to the launchers she hid in her sleeves.<p>

When Zuko finished with the inventory he took a few minutes to sharpen a pair of dao swords on a whetstone, then sheathed them on his hip. Zuko donned a hooded black jacket and pulled the hood over his head. Though the appearance would look suspicious in public, everyone that lived nearby knew that many suspicious looking people acquired their weapons at this shop. Until Zuko could reach a dark alley to slip into the shadows he would be hiding in plain sight.

"Ready?" Zuko asked, looking at Mai.

"Yes," Mai answered, pulling her own hood over her head.

Zuko walked to the front of the shop and opened the door. Instead of finding an empty street on the other side, Zuko found a few dozen Dai Li agents waiting. "Something I can do for you?" Zuko asked.

One agent stepped ahead of the others. "Come with us Lee."

With his hand drifting to his swords Zuko prepared for a fight. "What's this about?"

"You're under arrest," the agent answered. The other agents took steps towards Zuko. "You can make this easier for yourself by coming quietly."

"No," Zuko said. He drew his swords and slashed the front agent's chest. As the first agent fell the others started throwing rock gloves at him. Zuko stepped back inside the shop and slammed the door shut, seeing dents appear as the rock gloves slammed into it.

"What's going on out there?" Mai asked, drawing one of her knives.

"Cover's blown," Zuko answered, shoving a table to the door. "Get out through the back."

Instead of following orders Mai stepped beside Zuko. "I'm not leaving you behind."

"Stay and we'll both be caught," Zuko argued. Even though the door was starting to fall apart Zuko still took the time to steal a quick kiss. "Get into the shadows and follow these guys."

Mai nodded and hurried to the back of the shop. She heard the door break down as she leaped out a window into an alley. Outside she threw a knife back through the window, hitting the first agent through the door in the forehead. Mai ran through the dark alley, trying to find a place to hide and watch the agents.

While Zuko knew he would eventually be overpowered by sheer numbers, he wasn't going to give up without a fight. Bending heat through his hands into the swords Zuko heated them up, burning agents that he struck with the swords. Blade wounds that could have been stitched whole became untreatable as the heated blades cauterized the flesh. One by one agents fell screaming as they burned inside the shop.

After the doorway was clogged with bodies agents outside started bending the ground in front of the store. Ripping the ground out the agents tore the entire front wall down. Agents swarmed into the shop, forming new stone gloves to seize Zuko. While the prince dodged and blocked many of the gloves, he couldn't stop them all. A few stone gloves grabbed Zuko and brought him down long enough for an agent to slap handcuffs on Zuko.

Immediately the agents started forcing Zuko out of the shop, also promising an enraged shopkeeper that he would be compensated for the damage to the building. Another agent gagged Zuko and blindfolded him. Dragging Zuko down the street the agents brought him to a cart and threw him inside. The cart was pulled away from the shop, where to Zuko didn't know.

Meanwhile on a nearby roof, Azula watched her brother being arrested. She wore a black suit that covered all of her skin and a hood to hide her hair. Her face was hidden behind a blue oni mask, one that was burned around the mouth and had a nick in the forehead. Behind the mask Azula smiled, taking pleasure in seeing Zuko beaten. While she could have set up anyone as bait for the Dai Li, choosing Zuko guaranteed inside help.

_A/N: I must thank Daveshan for inspiring the Appa disappearing plot device, and subsequent reappearing elsewhere. His satire _What SHOULD Have Happened In ATLA_ showed just how often Appa disappears during action scenes, which made me ask where does Appa _go_ when that happens._


	25. The Lake

Chapter 24: The Lake

Following the agents that arrested Zuko was easy for Azula, until they entered the Agrarian Zone outside the lower ring. Convenient dark alleys and shadows ended at the wall, on the other side only wide plains of crops filled the gap between walls. Though her disguise as the Blue Spirit hid her identity, Azula had to keep her distance to avoid being seen. The night was still young and a nearly full moon was rising tonight.

The agents headed straight to a lake in the Agrarian Zone, one with an island in the center. From Azula's view the agents appeared to walk onto the surface of the lake, then disappear into it. Getting closer she found a stone path leading into the lake, with a metal hatch at the end. One agent stayed above the surface and walked back to the shore.

Alone the agent prepared to earthbend the stone back into the lake. Azula fired lightning into the agent's back, then dumped the body into the lake. She walked over to the hatch and opened it, finding a ladder leading down into an underground base. Azula climbed down the ladder and closed the hatch behind her.

Inside the base Azula observed the dark corridors, sparsely lit by torches far from each other. She could hear distant agents talking, but the sound was too garbled to make anything out. Sticking to the shadows in the base Azula explored the hallways, ducking into dark corners whenever agents passed by. Azula wasn't certain what she might find, but the sound of women chanting caught her attention. Following the sound to a side chamber Azula looked inside a barely open door, finding over a dozen women in a trance.

"_I am Joo Dee, welcome to Ba Sing Se."_

At the other end of the chamber a door opened, revealing three agents dragging another girl inside. Though the armor and weapons had been striped and the makeup removed, Azula recognized the Kyoshi Warrior. The agents forced Suki into a chair with manacles attached, locking her into place behind the chanting women.

"Let me go!" Suki demanded, struggling against the manacles.

Ignoring Suki, one of the agents bent stone onto her face to force Suki to look at a mindbender at the front of the room and a bright lamp behind him. "Another one to mold," the agent said.

The mindbender only nodded, not breaking the chant he spoke to make the Joo Dee's repeat.

Slowly Azula backed away from the door, finding the implications of the chamber more troubling than any form of torture she knew existed. This would be her fate if the Dai Li caught her here, assuming they didn't execute her instead. She started to regret using Zuko as the bait, if only because him losing his identity would be a waste of a firebender.

Another hour of searching found more chambers like the first one Azula found, some with more women and others with men becoming unwilling Dai Li. A few contained a single individual each, being forced to either disclose information or to forget that the war existed. In one room Azula discovered Zuko shackled to a chair, forced to face a mindbender with a bright lamp circling him.

"Who are you working for?" the mindbender asked.

When Zuko didn't respond Azula smiled behind the mask. Her brother was smart enough to not say anything at all, not when the bright moving lamp distorted his perception of reality. Zuko didn't even react to Azula sneaking into the room, crawling beneath the track the bright lamp moved on around the mindbender. Even when Azula shot blue flames into the back of the mindbender's neck, Zuko still didn't respond.

Only smashing the bright lamp with the mindbender's corpse got a reaction from Zuko. "About time someone broke that thing," Zuko said. He smelled burning flesh and quickly figured out who could be behind the Blue Spirit mask. "Azula, you're the last person I would expect to come to my rescue."

"Who did you expect, Uncle Iroh?" Azula asked while she took keys off the mindbender. She walked over to Zuko's chair and started unlocking the shackles.

"Is Mai with you?" Zuko asked as he was freed. Standing up Zuko rubbed his sore wrists. "I told her to follow me."

"Haven't seen her," Azula answered. She stepped over to the door and listened for any approaching agents. "Come on."

Zuko followed Azula into the hallway and deeper into the base. "Isn't the exit the other way?" Zuko whispered.

"We're not leaving just yet," Azula answered. She peered into another chamber, spotting the Avatar's earthbending teacher in a group of soon to be unwilling Dai Li. "The Avatar is here, likely being brainwashed into a weapon of mass destruction."

Not needing any further convincing to remain in the base, Zuko silenced himself while following Azula through the base. Deeper in the base the patrols from Dai Li increased in frequency, slowing down their progress. Soon they reached the point of no return, a larger hallway with a dozen Dai Li standing guard. They'd have to fight if they wanted to continue.

Zuko observed the guards from behind a dark corner, estimating the odds. "Do you think it's time we stopped hiding our firebending?" Zuko whispered.

Azula nodded. "On three," she whispered. "One…" Azula posed for a lightning strike while Zuko did the same. "Two…" They both started charging lightning, making the guards wonder what was causing the noise. "Three!" Together they stepped out from the dark corner and fired lightning into the guards, killing half of them instantly and shocking the rest into unconsciousness.

With stealth gone Azula and Zuko ran past the fallen agents into the chamber they were guarding. More agents were inside guarding a mindbender. They weren't expecting firebenders so deep in the base, and were not prepared for the fireblasts that struck them. The mindbender threw his hands into the air, surrendering to the intruders.

After shutting the door Zuko observed the room. The whole thing was made of metal, intended to hold even the strongest of earthbenders. The surrendering mindbender was in the middle of a circular track that moved another bright lamp, and in a chair the Avatar was shackled. The Avatar's eyes were dilated, and he didn't seem to respond to the commotion around him.

Azula looked at her vulnerable enemy, and lit a blue flame in her hand. "Not the ending I had in mind, but it will do."

"Wait!" Zuko shouted.

"Why?" Azula demanded. "Let's just kill him here and now."

Zuko crossed the track around the mindbender and walked up to him. "Is the brainwashing working on the Avatar?"

Scared for his life, the mindbender believed that he would be killed if he lied. "We've never done this on an Air Nomad before. But he seems ready to be molded."

"Can anyone do the brainwashing?" Zuko asked.

"Of… of course, the technique is rather simple."

"Good," Zuko said. "Teach it to me, now!"

* * *

><p>Toph was on her way home at night when she noticed something that simply should not be there. A six-legged bison was sleeping in the backyard of Zei's house. She could also tell that Sokka was inside, seemingly not caring that the bison was there. Toph walked into the house and slammed the door behind her, making certain to get Sokka's attention.<p>

"What in the world is that thing doing in the backyard?" Toph demanded.

Getting up from the couch Sokka faced his friend. "That 'thing' is the Avatar's sky bison. It's here because my sister is in trouble somewhere in the city."

"And what exactly do you plan to do about it?" Toph asked.

"I've already got a friend working on it," Sokka explained. "I couldn't follow past the wall, so I came back here to wait for you."

Toph hummed and thought for a moment about where prisoners might be kept outside the inner wall. "Long Feng might have an underground base somewhere past the wall. He's certainly got enough earthbenders to make one."

"Do you know where it is?" Sokka asked.

"No," Toph answered, shaking her head. "But I could find it easily."

"Then let's go," Sokka said. He ran out the back door into the backyard, up to the sleeping sky bison. Sokka leapt onto Appa's horn and shook the bison's head, waking him up. "It's time to find your buddies."

"Do you really expect me to ride in that thing?" Toph asked.

"Yes," Sokka answered, dropping back onto the ground.

After Sokka and Toph got into the saddle Appa took off into the night sky. Toph couldn't help but scream the moment she was in the air, cut off from the earth that let her see. Flying was the opposite extreme of sailing, lack of vibrations instead of overwhelming. It only took Toph minutes to figure that prolonged flights would mess with her just as much as a long boat journey.

Huddled in one corner of the saddle, Toph hung on for dear life. "Please tell me you're only renting this beast!"

Sitting at the reins, Sokka looked back at Toph. "Hey I'll gladly give it back once we find its owner."

The few minutes it took to reach the Agrarian Zone could not end too soon for Toph. Once Appa landed outside the inner wall Toph immediately leapt out of the saddle onto the ground. Sokka got off the bison as well, surveying the moonlit surroundings for anyone watching. He figured that the Dai Li must know they were out here, even at night a sky bison is hard to miss.

"See anything?" Sokka asked.

Toph crouched and placed one hand on the ground, focusing on what she could see below. "Not here" she said. She punched the ground to earthbend a ripple through the earth, magnifying the vibrations and extending her range. "I've got something, beneath a lake."

"Lead the way," Sokka said.

Walking to the lake only took fifteen minutes, though Sokka found a lack of sentry agents suspicious. Those suspicious feelings waned a little when he saw a dead body floating in the lake, a sign that someone had already cleared the way. On one side of the lake a path reached onto the surface, ending with a metal hatch.

"Guess that's our way in," Toph said as she walked towards the hatch.

Sokka looked at the hatch, then at Appa, then back to the hatch. "Yeah, I don't think our furry friend can come any further," Sokka said. Then he pointed at Appa and then to the sky. "Go fly somewhere for a while, anywhere."

Appa roared and took off, flying southeast.

Toph reached the metal hatch and opened it. "Ready to go down the rabbaroo hole?"

Together Sokka and Toph climbed down a ladder into the Dai Li base, entering the dark corridors. Instead of sneaking like Sokka wanted, Toph just walked through corridors like she owned the place. Still on the Dai Li payroll, Toph believed that as long as she looked like she was on Dai Li business the other agents wouldn't stop her.

She was wrong.

A group of agents were walking down the corridor when they spotted Toph. "Hey! Recruits aren't allowed down here!"

"Crap," Toph complained. Immediately she attacked the agents with blocks of stone, hitting and tossing them back. The noise echoed through the corridor, alerting more agents deeper in the base.

"In here," Sokka said, spotting a door leading into a chamber. He forced it open and entered with Toph behind him. To Sokka's surprise he found two dozen women chanting inside, one of which was bound to a chair.

"_We are so lucky to have our walls to create order."_

"What in the world?" Sokka muttered, horrified by the sight. Then he noticed the mindbender with his bright lamp. The lamp gave him the creeps, prompting Sokka to throw his boomerang and smash it.

Immediately the chanting women snapped out of the trance, some collapsing while others looked around in confusion. The girl bound to the chair let out a sigh of relief, struggling harder against the manacles. A few of the women rushed the mindbender, venting rage on the man that tried to strip their identity. Some even dropped to their hands and knees in front of Sokka, thanking him for stopping the mindbender.

"Get out of here!" Sokka ordered, pointing towards the exit.

Most of the women immediately obeyed the order, some of them carrying those too tired to walk. One retrieved Sokka's boomerang and gave it back to him before leaving. While the women left the chamber Sokka hurried to the girl in the chair and broke the stone holding her head in place. Lacking the keys to the manacles, Sokka started hacking at the hinges with his boomerang.

Suki looked at Sokka, wondering if she had fallen asleep in the chair. She'd seen him before, but thought it was nothing but swamp gas messing with her head. But there was no mistaking the Water Tribe boy, so similar to Katara. "Who are you?" Suki asked.

"Sokka," he answered. He hit the left manacle hard and often enough to break it open. "You?" Sokka asked as he started with the right manacle.

"Suki," she answered, flexing her free hand. "Are you related to Katara?"

The manacle snapped as Sokka struck it harder than he intended. "She's my sister. Where is she?"

"I don't know," Suki admitted, standing up. "I'll help you find her."

Rumbling earth sounded outside the chamber, and Toph walked into the room. "I kinda blocked the way forward…"

"You!" Suki yelled. She grabbed Sokka's boomerang and threw it at Toph. The weapon curved in the air around Toph's head, returning to Sokka.

After catching the boomerang, Sokka got in between Toph and Suki. "What did I miss?" Sokka asked, looking back and forth between the two girls.

"She attacked me and my friends!" Suki yelled. "She works for Long Feng!"

"I didn't know about any of this!" Toph shouted, gesturing to the dead mindbender. "I'd have never taken the job if I knew!"

"Do you expect me to believe you?" Suki questioned.

"Nope," Toph said. "If I were in your shoes I'd be trying to hightail it out of here."

"Can we argue this later?" Sokka asked. "We've all got people in here that need rescuing."

"Are you certain that Katara is even here?" Suki asked.

"Even if she isn't, we have to shut down Long Feng's operation," Sokka said. While he knew this would ruin the deal he made to have Long Feng's support during the solar eclipse, it wasn't worth tolerating his crimes against humanity. Even if the plan worked, it would only trade one dictator for another. "Toph, make a path through this place."

"You got it," Toph said. She bent the stone wall of the chamber, forming a new tunnel leading into an empty chamber. "Come on before they get wise to this trick."

Together Toph, Sokka, and Suki ran into earthbended tunnels, moving from one chamber to the next and bypassing the corridors. Some of the chambers had been hastily evacuated, while others still had prisoners entranced by more bright lamps. Sokka smashed the bright lamps whenever he could while Toph dealt with agents and Suki directed the prisoners to the exit. After freeing a handful of dissidents and political prisoners, they found a chamber filled with three dozen entranced men.

Suki only needed a second to recognize one of the people in the chamber. "Haru!"

"Who?" Sokka and Toph asked.

Instead of answering, Suki ran for the mindbender beside another bright lamp. She tackled the man, gripped his clothes and threw him into the bright lamp. Before the mindbender could get up Suki slammed her foot repeatedly into his face until he stayed down. Sighing when she finished, Suki turned to see the men breaking out of the trance.

"Haru, are you alright?" Suki asked, hurrying to her friend.

On his knees and holding his head in both hands, Haru groaned as he felt a headache form. "I'll be fine, just a little woozy." Haru looked up and saw Toph standing behind Suki. "Oh for Aang's sake, not again."

"Relax," Toph said. "This time I'm on your side."

Sokka looked around to see all the other men still in the chamber. "What are you guys waiting for? Get out of here!"

Not one of the men left, all of them facing their liberators. All earthbenders, all were being forced into becoming unwilling Dai Li agents, all wanting vengeance against Long Feng. They had no place in Ba Sing Se anymore, not while the Dai Li knew their names and faces. Every last earthbender in the chamber bowed to Sokka, and had nothing left to lose.

"We shall stand with you."

* * *

><p>Waiting for an opportune moment to infiltrate the Dai Li base was testing the limits of Mai's patience. She had first arrived at the lake's shores in time to see the Blue Spirit enter, and had to wait until either she was safely inside or the alarm sounded. Right when Mai figured she had a chance to get in a bison dropped out of the night sky nearby, then walked with two people to the shore. After the bison flew away and the two newcomers entered Mai had to wait again, just to be certain that the two didn't alert the Dai Li.<p>

Once Mai was certain it was safe to sneak inside she left her hiding place in the bushes, walking onto the stone path leading onto the surface of the lake. She reached the end and opened the hatch, wielding a knife in one hand just in case. To her surprise Mai heard the voices of several women coming from inside, and when she looked down she spotted a few climbing the ladder.

"Just my luck," Mai muttered. She helped the women finish the climb out of the base, pulling them out of the hatch. Behind the two dozen women were a handful of other former prisoners, glad to find someone on the outside helping them. After the last person was out Mai peered inside the base, hearing all kinds of commotion from agents moving inside. The base was clearly on alert now and stealth would be impossible.

When Mai turned around she found the women on the lake shore, uncertain where to go now. One of them looked at Mai. "Please, help us."


	26. The Breakout

Chapter 25: The Breakout

Despite having no idea what was happening inside the Dai Li base, Mai decided to roll with the events as they happened. The women that had escaped were terrified, scared for their lives and had nowhere to go. Mai had little choice but to leave with them, as trying to help Zuko while the base was on high alert would only get her captured. It was also an opportunity that might never present itself again.

"This way," Mai shouted, ordering the women to follow her. Mai led them to the inner wall, near one of the gates to the lower ring. "Can any of you earthbend?"

Three of the two dozen women stepped in front of the others. "What do you need us to do?" one of them asked.

"Make a path under that," Mai ordered, pointing at the wall.

It only took the three earthbenders a few minutes to tunnel beneath the inner wall. On the other side were the city's worst slums, a place that even the Dai Li were afraid to enter. It was perfect for hiding from the authorities, or for smuggling contraband into the lower ring. Bypassing the gates into the city was necessary when Mai was certain that all of the women would be wanted fugitives.

"Where do we go now?" a young woman asked.

"I'm working on it," Mai answered. She looked around the slums, finding the streets nearly deserted in the middle of the night. Only one building still had lamps lit inside, a decrepit shack that looked like it could crumble at any moment. "In here."

Before Mai could reach the shack its doors burst open as a thug was thrown outside. She made sure the thug was out cold before approaching the shack, hearing the sound of combat coming from inside. Another thug was thrown out of the shack before Mai could gaze inside, making her wonder just what were people fighting over in there. Once she was close enough Mai looked inside the shack, finding half a dozen more thugs fighting three teenagers.

One teenage boy had a bow and quiver on his back, using hand to hand combat in close quarters. At his back was a girl wielding a dagger, slicing thugs that got too close. The third was another boy, wielding a pair of hook-swords. In the back corner were several tied up girls, all bound and gagged. One thug was about to earthbend a block of stone right into the hook-sword wielder's head, but his stone crashed into the floor as one of Mai's knives struck his neck.

In just under a minute the three teens finished the fight against the thugs, appreciating the help from Mai. While his friends freed the girls the hook-sword wielder approached Mai. "Thanks for the assist, miss…?"

"Lo," Mai answered. "And you are?"

"My name is Jet, and these are my freedom fighters."

* * *

><p>Long Feng had been sleeping in his personal chamber in the Lake Laogai base when the alert reached him. Sentries guarding him had been reluctant to wake their leader in the middle of the night, only acting when they learned the security breach was from one of their own. Once Long Feng was awake and informed of the situation, he only took enough time to dress before leaving his chambers to attend to the alert personally.<p>

Just outside his chambers Long Feng walked beside one of his senior lieutenants. "Which projects have been compromised so far?"

The lieutenant checked a scroll that he was carrying with him. "We've lost one of our Joo Dee processing chambers, an agent enlistment camp, and half a dozen interrogation rooms near the main entrance." He paused for a moment to carefully read clumsily scribbled notes that came next. "And the high security rehabilitation room is not responding."

"What!" Long Feng yelled, stopping in his tracks. He grabbed the lieutenant by the collar and shoved him into a wall. "We can't afford to lose that prisoner!"

"Permission to send all available agents to secure it?" the lieutenant asked.

"Granted!" Long Feng shouted, letting go of the lieutenant. "Do whatever it takes to make sure the Avatar remains under our control!"

"Yes sir," the lieutenant said, giving a quick salute before running off to give orders.

Picking up the pace, Long Feng hurried through the corridors. He made a small detour on his way to face the intruders, heading for one of the specialized rehabilitation chambers. Once he was inside the chamber Long Feng observed a mindbender and his patient, a young Water Tribe girl. This was the girl's second visit to Lake Laogai, making sure the mindbending procedure was done right this time.

"I'm in a hurry doctor, what's her status?" Long Feng asked.

The mindbender paused to address Long Feng. "I've repaired the damage to her conditioning from the last time she broke free of it, as well as strengthening the trigger phrase in her mind."

"Is she ready to fight?" Long Feng asked. Having a waterbender serve the Dai Li would be a great asset, when so few of them even visited Ba Sing Se.

The mindbender shook his head. "I need more time to eliminate variables that could break her conditioning."

"Work swiftly," Long Feng said, turning towards the door. "I might need her soon."

* * *

><p>Still wearing the Blue Spirit mask, Azula kept watch inside the chamber that contained the Avatar. She wasn't paying attention to Zuko's experiment with mindbending, thinking that they should just kill the Avatar and get it over with. Azula would rather deal with a reincarnated Avatar a decade from now instead of one that could bend all four elements today. While the idea of making the Avatar obey the Fire Nation had merit, there was too much risk in Azula's opinion.<p>

Having nothing to barricade the door with, Azula resorted to welding it shut with firebending. She melted the lock and the hinges, letting the molten metal seep into the crack between door and frame. Once the metal cooled it would take considerable force to break down the door, and provide ample warning time for the siblings inside.

Azula was about to tell Zuko to hurry up when she first heard something heavy slam against the sealed door. Another strike dented the center of the door, as well as a hairline crack in one of the welds. Zuko stopped his experiment, leaving the Avatar in the mindbending trance. More strikes dented the door further, starting to break apart Azula's welding. The siblings took firebending stances, preparing to fight their way out once the door broke down.

One large boulder broke the door down, breaking itself into dust from the force. Zuko was already throwing fire before the dust could settle, but Azula was waiting for a clear shot before striking. She had just enough time to see a little girl bend an earth wall in front of herself and a familiar Water Tribe boy. Azula only had a split second to make a decision, maintain her charade as Li Mei and possibly escape unharmed, or help Zuko and expose her true identity.

Instead of firebending Azula clenched her fist and punched Zuko, throwing off his aim and making his next fireblast hit the ceiling. With a sweep of her leg Azula tripped Zuko, making him fall on his back onto the metal floor. While Zuko was still stunned by surprise Azula grabbed his shirt and pulled his face close to her mask.

"Nothing personal," Azula whispered, only loud enough for Zuko to hear. Then she slammed Zuko's head back into the floor, knocking him out.

Just outside the chamber Sokka only saw the Blue Spirit defeating a teen that he recognized. "What in the world is _he_ doing here?" Sokka yelled.

Toph stepped ahead of Sokka, crossing her arms. "Huh? It really is Sparky," Toph said. "For a minute there I thought my feet were lying."

Azula was about to make up a lie when she spotted the people behind Sokka and Toph. Spotting the Avatar's earthbending teacher and Kyoshi Warrior, Azula kept her mouth shut in case they remembered her voice. Behind them were twenty earthbenders, standing among bodies of their fallen comrades and dozens of fallen Dai Li agents. Staying silent Azula stepped aside, providing a clear view of the Avatar still in the chair.

"Aang!" Haru and Suki shouted. Suki hurried to her friend while Haru smashed the bright lamp inside the room.

It took Aang a few moments to snap out of the trance. "What the… how did I get here?" He looked around the chamber trying to figure out where he was. "Suki, Haru, what's going on?"

"Explanations later, escape now," Suki said, examining the manacles that held Aang's wrists to the chair. "Sokka, I could use your weapon right about now."

"Sokka?" Aang muttered. He looked around again, finding Sokka running over to Suki with his boomerang. "When did you get here?"

"Long story," Sokka said. He started hitting the manacle on Aang's right wrist with the sharp side of his boomerang, slowly cutting through it. It took him a minute to free Aang's hand.

With one hand free Aang stretched his right arm. "Hang on a sec," Aang said. Extending two fingers on his right hand Aang lit a small flame, then placed the flame onto the lock of the left manacle. A moment later the lock was red hot. "Try it now."

One strike on the hot lock broke it apart, releasing Aang's left arm. "You already know firebending?" Sokka asked. "Where did you learn waterbending?"

"In a swamp," Aang answered.

Sokka slapped his forehead. "So that's why you never showed up."

Still in the chamber Azula had no idea what Sokka was referring to. Counting on everyone else to be just as confused, she slipped out of the chamber before Aang could see and possibly recognize the Blue Spirit mask. No one bothered to stop her, paying more attention to the Avatar's rescue. While her mission had not gone as planned, Azula figured that there wasn't much more she could do. With the Avatar's waterbending teacher still unaccounted for, Azula figured he would bring down the Dai Li just to get her back.

* * *

><p>Furious over the situation getting out of hand, Long Feng gathered as many agents he could find and led them through the base. Scouts reported that the intruders had aligned themselves with released earthbenders, all heading deeper into the base. Long Feng chose a natural cavern within the base for a showdown with the intruders, a place vast enough to hold a small army.<p>

With a hundred of Dai Li agents at his back, Long Feng only had to wait a few minutes for the intruders to arrive. He found Toph leading the charge among released earthbenders. Among them were Sokka with the Avatar and two of his friends. And for some reason Long Feng couldn't figure out, they had a barely conscious teenage boy tied up and being dragged with them.

"Alright little girl, you've caused me enough trouble for one night," Long Feng said.

Toph laughed for a moment. "I suppose it's way too late to submit my two weeks notice?"

"You have so much potential," Long Feng said. "Do you really want to throw it all away?"

"Yup, I quit," Toph said, tossing her Dai Li hat aside.

"Men, arrest them!" Long Feng ordered.

Immediately the Dai Li rushed forward, bending rock projectiles at the intruders. Toph, Haru, and the other earthbenders formed a thick wall of rock to block the barrage. The earthbenders broke the wall and threw large pieces of it at the Dai Li, forcing them to break formation and scatter. Both sides charged at each other, clashing at the middle of the chamber. Rock flew everywhere as it was pulled from the floor and thrown from one bender to another.

After dispatching three agents on her own, Toph charged through the rest and ran towards Long Feng. Behind her were Sokka and Suki, hoping to get around Long Feng and search for Katara in the chambers beyond. Aang remained with the other earthbenders, throwing fire in addition to the earthbending. Both earthbenders and Dai Li started to fall, but they were of little consequence to Long Feng.

Before engaging the enemy himself, Long Feng sealed the passage behind him with a wall of rock. He bent a wave of stone at Toph, which she shattered and ran through. Then Long Feng made a column of stone rise beneath his feet, launching him into the air. Unable to see him in the air, Toph couldn't sense Long Feng bending the column of stone until it came apart.

"Look out!" Suki yelled.

Toph bent a wall of rock just in time to block incoming stone. At the height of his leap Long Feng bent a ledge of stone from the back wall to catch him. Just above him were stalactites hanging from the ceiling, inspiring Long Feng to turn them into weapons. He jumped and punched the ceiling, bending a shockwave that dislodged every stalactite.

Sokka helplessly watched Long Feng turn the chamber into a deathtrap. "Everyone watch out! Death From Above!"

Battle in the cavern ceased for a brief moment during the indiscriminate attack. Those who had been in the middle of a strike had no time to form a shield or destroy falling spikes. Earthbenders closest to Sokka and Suki chose to protect their liberators, at the cost of their own lives. Aang blasted fire at the spikes above him, exploding them into harmless dust. Near the entrance and still tied up, Zuko rolled into the corridor to get out of harm's way. Spikes crashed into the ground everywhere, skewering the unprotected and smashing against shields of stone.

Those who survived dug out of the rubble as dust settled. Of the Dai Li agents only fifteen were still alive, horrified that their leader considered them expendable. Three of the freed earthbenders survived, standing beside Aang and Haru. Sokka and Suki helped Toph out of rubble from her earthbended shield, coughing from the dust.

Back on his ledge above the others, Long Feng opened a passage in the wall. "Fools," he muttered before heading through the passage into the next chamber.

"Long Feng's getting away!" Aang shouted. He was about to run after him, but a thrown boulder from a Dai Li agent cut him off.

"He's mine!" Toph yelled. Though slightly bruised and tired from all her bending during the night, she still pursued Long Feng. She ran up to the original passage onward and reopened it with earthbending, then ran through with Sokka and Suki behind her.

On the other side was a smaller chamber with an underground stream flowing through it. Long Feng stood on a bridge that spanned the stream, facing Toph as she entered the chamber. "You've forced my hand," Long Feng said.

"Where's Katara?" Suki demanded.

Long Feng smirked and stepped aside, revealing Katara behind him. "Katara, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

"I am honored to accept his invitation."

Immediately Katara pulled water out of the stream from both sides of the bridge, sending it straight at Toph and the others. Toph made an earth wall to block, and half of it eroded away in the attack. Redirecting the flow of the stream itself, Katara turned it all on Toph. Despite Toph reinforcing the earth wall, the full force of the stream broke it down and washed Toph away. Sokka and Suki leaped out of the way, both seeing the current slam Toph into a wall. For nearly a minute the force of the rushing water kept Toph pinned, until the current ceased and dropped Toph into mud unconscious.

"Katara! Snap out of it!" Sokka yelled. The only response he saw was Katara bending more water and throwing it at him. Sokka tried to get out of the way but slipped in mud, falling to the floor and closing his eyes before the water could hit him. But he felt nothing strike.

"Unbelievable!" Long Feng yelled.

Slowly Sokka opened his eyes, finding water hovering just inches from his face. He stood up and looked at Katara, finding her dilated eyes staring at him. Her hand was reaching forward in control of the water, but her fingers were twitching. Sokka could just barely make out Katara's eyes, contracting and dilating at random.

"Sokka…?"

Water splashed on the floor as Katara gripped her head in her hands. Her brother was the one person she would never turn on, no matter how much her mind had been tampered with. Katara screamed in rage as the conditioning failed to hold, and she focused her rage on the person responsible. In one swift motion Katara bent every last drop of water into a single torrent, throwing all of it at Long Feng. All of the water flowed around an earth wall Long Feng made in defense, hitting him anyway and covering him completely. Katara shaped the water into a sphere and froze the surface into a shell of ice, trapping Long Feng inside.

"Katara stop!" Sokka yelled, running over to his sister. "You're killing him!"

"He deserves it!" Katara shouted, watching Long Feng drown. She watched him try to break through the ice with his fists, burning up his air with each failed strike. "You die now."

Suki picked up Toph and faced Katara. "If we don't leave now, we will all die."

Breath escaped from Long Feng's lungs, his body going limp and sinking to the bottom of the water. Katara could hear the sound of battle just outside the chamber, sensing that she was needed there. She only needed to hold the waterbended sphere intact for just a few more minutes to make sure Long Feng drowned, a few minutes that could make all the difference in a fight.

Screaming with frustration, Katara shattered the ice sphere like an egg. The water spilled across the chamber, dropping Long Feng onto the ground and coughing up water. She wanted to crush Long Feng's throat so that he could never speak again, but there was no time to waste. Instead she turned around and left the chamber with Sokka. Behind them Suki carried Toph her, and on the other side the remaining Dai Li agents continued their fight. Only seven agents remained, fighting only Aang and Haru. Katara hit three of the agents with water from behind, surprising the rest long enough for Aang and Haru to make finishing blows.

"Katara!" Aang shouted, hugging her as soon as they were close enough. "Are you okay?"

"No," Katara admitted.

"We have to move!" Haru shouted. He turned towards the way out, finding an empty corridor. "Hey where did that guy go?"

"What?" Sokka questioned. He looked for Zuko, but only found the ropes that had bound him. The ropes had been burned through, the ends still smoldering. "Forget him, we have to leave."

* * *

><p>All Zuko wanted as he escaped the Dai Li base was to get a good night's sleep. Climbing out of the hatch on the surface of the lake, he wondered if there were any convenient holes he could crawl inside and sleep in. The only hole he could find nearby was an earthbended tunnel wide enough for a group to pass through. On the other side were the lower ring slums, a place Zuko didn't want to get spotted in while tired and vulnerable.<p>

But on his way through the tunnel Zuko sensed something was wrong. His nose picked up the scent of ash and smoke, urging him to pick up the pace. The exit of the tunnel was lit up by something on the other side. _What did I miss? _Zuko wondered when he reached the other side of the wall.

The lower ring was burning.


	27. The Revolt

Chapter 26: The Revolt

In the hours just before sunrise Aang and the others set up camp on the island in the middle of Lake Laogai. Katara had provided transport on a raft of ice, shuttling them to a relatively safe haven. No one had the energy left to deal with getting back into the city, where fresh Dai Li agents might be waiting for them. Sleep was crucial to regaining their strength, even if it was on an uninhabited island.

In his dreams Aang found himself reliving an old memory, before the hundred years frozen in an iceberg. Gyatso had taken Aang on one of his journeys around the world, exploring the various cultures the other three nations had to offer. There were a few places Gyatso refused to bring Aang to, such as Ba Sing Se or Yu Dao. On this trip they visited the Fire Nation capital, where Aang had made a friend on a previous visit years before.

"_Kuzon!" Aang shouted, hopping off the sky bison and running for the Fire Nation teenager in front of a large house._

"_Aang!" Kuzon yelled back, waving to his friend. He braced himself as Aang approached, but it didn't stop Aang from running into Kuzon and knocking him over. On his back Kuzon's amber eyes glared at Aang. "You're getting too big for that."_

"_Sorry," Aang said, getting off Kuzon. He held a hand out to Kuzon, which Kuzon accepted and let Aang help him back up._

_Still at the bison's reins, Gyastso chuckled. "You two play nice," Gyatso ordered. "I'll return in a few hours."_

_As the sky bison took Gyatso back into the air Kuzon racked his fingers through his loose black hair. "Same old Gyatso," Kuzon said._

"_Hey, do you have any new toys?" Aang asked._

_Kuzon shook his head and sighed. "I haven't had time to get any."_

"_Is something going on?" Aang asked._

"_Nothing I can say outside," Kuzon admitted. He started walking to his home, going inside and closing the door after Aang entered. No one else was home, which Kuzon preferred. "My mom wants me to sign up for the military."_

"_Why? There's no war brewing is there?" Aang asked._

"_Not yet, just some unrest among peasants," Kuzon said. "But it's nothing the Avatar can't handle when he returns."_

"_But that's not for another five years," Aang said. "It's only been eleven since Avatar Roku died."_

"_Didn't you just turn eleven last fall?" Kuzon asked._

_Aang pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not this again Kuzon. If I were the Avatar, don't you think I would know?"_

"_I'm just saying, the timeline fits," Kuzon reasoned._

"_Same thing for at least a dozen other airbenders I know, and I'm sure there's more from the other air temples," Aang said. "I'm not the Avatar."_

Sunlight on his face woke up Aang, despite wanting to keep sleeping. The high walls of the city delayed the dawn, but Aang wished it could have waited a few more hours. What convinced Aang to get up was the sound of someone crying. A short walk to the shore and Aang found Katara sitting by the water, her tears falling into the lake.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aang asked, sitting by Katara.

Katara sighed and looked at Aang. "They messed with my head, turned me into a puppet." She wiped tears from her face, but more kept coming. "I don't know if you can trust me anymore."

"I still trust you," Aang said, placing one hand on Katara's shoulder.

"How can you?" Katara asked, looking away from Aang.

"I saw you snap out of it back at the palace," Aang answered. "And Sokka said you wouldn't hurt him, even when Long Feng used those magic words."

Loud snoring coming from the camp reminded Katara that her brother was still there. "Why is Sokka here anyway?" Katara asked. "Didn't we leave him back home?"

Aang shrugged. "I guess he missed you?"

"Well, I'm glad he did," Katara admitted.

Suddenly a loud roar sounded from above, very familiar to Aang and Katara. It woke up everyone still asleep, while Sokka screamed awake. Above the lake Appa flew towards the island, gradually descending for a landing.

Sokka rubbed his eyes and looked at Appa. "Well this is highly unlikely."

In just a minute Appa landed on the island and licked Aang. "Where have you been buddy?"

"Great, flying," Toph muttered. "Can we not do that please?"

"Why?" Haru asked. "Afraid of heights?"

"I prefer to stick to the ground where I can see," Toph answered.

"Who are you anyway?" Katara asked.

"Only the Greatest Earthbender of All Time," Toph bragged. "But you can call me Toph."

"She can probably teach you a few tricks with earthbending," Haru said. "I'm still a little sore from the last time I fought her."

"Want another rematch?" Toph asked.

"No thank you," Haru answered.

Sokka chuckled for a few seconds. "Anyway, I think it's time we compare notes on what we've all been doing for the last few months."

"Is something burning?" Toph interrupted, sniffing the air. "Do you guys smell smoke?"

Everyone paused to smell the air. "I smell it too," Suki said. She looked around and saw smoke rising from behind the inner wall. "Look!" she yelled, pointing to the smoke.

"Great, we sleep and the city burns down," Katara muttered.

"Everyone on Appa, we've got to fly," Aand said.

"Team Avatar away!" Sokka shouted.

Katara glared at her brother. "We are not using that name."

* * *

><p>Standing on the roof of the Dangerous Ladies Salon, Azula watched one of her childhood fears unfold before her eyes. A peasant uprising had started in the lower ring, spreading chaos and destruction in its wake. As a member of the Fire Nation royal family, if this were happening in her homeland Azula would be one of the revolt's targets. While it could be useful in bringing down the Earth Kingdom, Azula didn't want her own people getting the same idea.<p>

A third of the lower ring was already in chaos and spreading like wildfire. It had started in the slums, where Dai Li suppression of the people had been weakest. Agents in the surrounding districts had been caught off guard during the night, unprepared for the sheer number of people rebelling. Timing could not have been better, as many of the Dai Li had been in their hidden base and occupied there. A mob had nearly entered the middle ring before the city guard knew what was happening, barely getting the gates closed in time to keep the uprising contained.

Watching the chaos spread Azula calculated how long it would take to reach her. She figured she had until noon before the salon would be destroyed, just enough time for a catnap. Azula hadn't slept at all during the night, and she knew she would collapse soon without rest. She walked inside the salon, picking a room with a massage bed to sleep on. Almost instantly Azula fell asleep with her Blue Spirit mask on her lap.

The few hours Azula slept seemed to pass instantly, waking up at the sound of someone walking inside the salon. Immediately she smelled smoke, guessing that there was a fire nearby. Azula stood up and hurried to the room's door, listening for the person in the hallway. When Azula heard the person almost reach the door she moved to strike.

At the last second Azula stopped herself from firebending at the girl in the hallway. "Mai!"

"Hey," Mai said, dropping a knife she was about to throw. "Don't do that."

Azula relaxed a bit before looking around Mai for anyone else. "Were you followed?"

"That doesn't matter," Mai answered. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I've been kind of busy," Azula said.

Mai picked up the knife she dropped and slipped it back into her sleeve. "It's been an eventful night for everyone."

"No, Mai you didn't?" Azula questioned, guessing what Mai might have done on her own.

"It was going to happen eventually," Mai said. She walked to the front door of the salon with Azula behind her. "A nudge here, a few incriminating stories there, some volatile people everywhere, it was easy to start a riot."

Azula opened the front doors and looked through the streets. One of the gates to the middle ring was close, and there were soldiers gathering by it. The gate was closed, cutting off the soldiers from reinforcements. On the top of the wall were spaced out earthbenders, sentries to detect and prevent rebel earthbenders from tunneling through the wall.

"Do you have any idea how damaging this revolt will be, even if it succeeds?" Azula questioned.

"Hey, I only lit the fuse," Mai answered. "Have you seen what the Dai Li do to helpless women? Once that came to light there was no stopping this."

From the street opposite of the gate a mob came into view, running towards the gate. Some of its members were throwing rocks and torches into nearby buildings, vandalizing everything they could find. Others were yelling at the top of their lungs, calling for the Dai Li to disband immediately and an overthrow of the Earth King. Thousands were already in the mob, and more joined them as people in the area started believing in the cause.

"No stopping this alright," Azula muttered. Sheer numbers favored the peasants, though the soldiers and agents were better trained. "Don't they realize this leaves them vulnerable to invasion?"

"I don't think they do," Mai suggested. "The Dai Li have kept talk of the war silenced for so long, some of these people might actually believe it doesn't exist."

"In any case we can't stay here," Azula said. "Let's blend in with the crowd, see if they can break down one of those gates for us."

* * *

><p>From high in the air, the chaos almost appeared to be spreading like a wave. Two fronts moved across the ring, on a collision course with each other on the far side of the ring. Appa flew over the burnt out slums, which had been abandoned after the riots moved on. The high walls of the city may have kept the people contained, but they were useless against a beast that could fly.<p>

"This is bad," Aang said.

"Is it very bad?" Toph asked, holding onto Sokka in the saddle.

"Yes, yes it is," Suki answered. As Appa flew over the wall between rings Suki could see the city guard mobilizing through the streets of the middle ring, flanked by thin ranks of Dai Li agents. "This is going to become a bloodbath real quick."

"But why is it happening now?" Haru asked.

"Well…" Sokka muttered, one hand behind his head. "We did kind of cripple the Dai Li."

"What's that got to do with this?" Suki asked.

"People here really don't like the Dai Li," Sokka said. "You've seen what they do to people they don't agree with."

"Do you think someone told these people about what we were doing last night?" Katara asked.

Sokka shrugged. "Probably, we released many people the Dai Li were trying to brainwash. It may have been the final straw for the people down there."

"There's got to be something we can do to stop it," Haru said. "This is going to cripple Ba Sing Se regardless of who wins."

Appa passed over the wall between the middle and upper rings, getting closer to the palace. From above it appeared that the uprising wasn't even happening, the rich and wealthy going about their business as if nothing was wrong. Only soldiers at the gates and in front of the palace betrayed the illusion.

"Do you think they might let us in this time?" Aang wondered. He guided Appa down towards the palace, expecting an attack like the last time. Instead of fighting all of the soldiers scattered, clearly remembering yesterday's outcome.

Appa landed at the top of restored steps, right outside the front doors of the palace. Everyone climbed out of Appa's saddle and hurried inside, finding more soldiers backing away. Inside the palace the big fancy doors to the throne room had been repaired and left wide open. A group of five generals were inside the throne room, discussing with the Earth King.

Young King Kuei looked too small for the throne he sat in, the weight of a city on his narrow shoulders. Though Kuei intended well for his city, ignorance and isolation had blinded him to the severe problems in Ba Sing Se. For as long as Kuei could remember he had delegated most responsibilities to Long Feng, and he was nowhere to be found. Unprepared for the current crisis Kuei allowed his Council of Five to take command, counting on the experience of the generals.

One member of the Council of Five was General Sung, who recognized Avatar Aang from the outer wall. Sung broke away from the rest of the Council and approached Aang. "Avatar, I'm afraid that we must ask for your assistance."

Aang hesitated for a second, surprised by Sung admitting that he needed help. "Sir, I don't know how I can help."

Another member of the Council approached Aang, the leader General Howe. "History seems to be repeating itself. We can only pray the same solution works twice."

Sokka stepped up beside Aang. "Not all of us are familiar with Ba Sing Se's history," Sokka said. "Could you fill us in please?"

King Kuei stood up from his throne and walked towards Aang. "My ancestor, the forty-sixth Earth King, once had his reign threatened by an uprising. He asked Avatar Kyoshi to solve the crisis for him."

Suki raised her hand. "The peasants were revolting then because that Earth King had failed to stop Chin the Conqueror from nearly dominating the entire Earth Kingdom."

"Correct," Kuei said. "The people of this city wanted to intervene, but my ancestor refused. He set himself and his agenda above the needs of the people, which fueled dissent. That arrogance nearly ended the line of Earth Kings, and would have if Kyoshi had not intervened."

"What did Kyoshi do?" Aang asked.

"Kyoshi acted as a mediator between the government and the people, negotiating a balance between the old ways and the new," Kuei described. "She created the position of Grand Secretariat, who would represent the interests of the general populace. Then she trained an elite force of earthbenders, which would safeguard our cultural heritage. Kyoshi created the Dai Li."

"What!" Aang shouted. "How could any Avatar make something that corrupt?"

"It wasn't during her lifetime," General Howe answered. "After Kyoshi passed the Dai Li expanded their authority beyond their intended purpose. The power they accumulated corrupted their ranks, undoing everything Kyoshi had done for Ba Sing Se."

Sokka leaned forward. "Maybe if you guys disband the Dai Li it would relieve a lot of tension. They're doing far more harm than good right now, so get rid of them."

"That might be a problem," General Howe said. "The Dai Li are in disarray and Long Feng is nowhere to be found."

At that moment a courier entered the throne room, exhausted and appeared ready to collapse. "Sir, the rebels have broken through the third wall, they're storming the middle ring as we speak."

The courier passed out from exhaustion, and Kuei looked at the fallen man. Then he looked at Aang again. "Will you help us, Avatar?"

Aang hesitated, doubting his ability to handle a crisis. "I'll do what I can."

* * *

><p>"This is Jet, and his freedom fighters."<p>

Mai introduced Azula to Jet outside the earthbending arena in the middle ring, which was being used as a base of operations for rebel organization. Jet's time in Ba Sing Se had shown him that the city's oppression was no different than the Fire Nation occupation elsewhere in the Earth Kingdom, and that the refugees that came every day only traded one intolerable life for another. The current government had to be replaced if the city was going to be worth protecting from the war.

"A pleasure to meet you, miss…" Jet said.

"Li Mei," Azula answered. "Are you leading this little operation?"

"At first," Jet answered. "But now it's taken on a life of its own. Even if I wanted to I can't stop the revolution."

"And just what do you plan to replace the government with?" Azula asked. She was curious if Jet had even planned out what would happen next.

"Well we can't set up a new monarchy, that's part of the problem right now," Jet answered. "I was thinking of maybe getting together everyone qualified to be a leader, then picking one based on popular vote. It's never been done on a large scale before, this idea of democracy."

Azula fought the urge to throw up. "Let me know how that turns out."

"There you are!"

Everyone's head turned towards the interrupter, finding Zuko walking towards Azula and Mai. His fists were clenched as he got closer, until he stopped just a foot in front of Azula. For a few seconds the siblings locked eyes, each trying to guess what the other would do. Immediately Zuko punched Azula's face, surprising everyone else as Azula fell on her back.

Slowly Azula got up and wiped spit from her lip, and remembering the latest reason why Zuko would hit her. "Alright, I deserved that. Are you done?"

Still mad at Azula for abandoning him in the Dai Li base, Zuko wanted an Agni Kai right then and there. But he realized that if the roles had been reversed he would have done the same thing. "Hardly, but we have bigger concerns right now than sibling rivalry."

"Like that?" Mai said, glancing at the sky. She pointed above the wall between the middle and upper rings, where a sky bison was flying towards the earthbending arena.

"The Avatar," Zuko muttered. He glanced at Jet, who was staring at the flying beast. "Which side do you think he'll support?"

Jet shrugged. "I've never met him."

The sky bison flew lower in the sky, but didn't try to land. Instead a passenger in the saddle dropped a few hundred pieces of parchment into the crowd in front of the arena, one of which Zuko grabbed. He read the parchment to himself, then aloud. "To whoever is in charge of the revolt, please come to the palace to discuss a ceasefire. The Avatar has agreed to mediate the negotiations, and as a token of goodwill the Dai Li are hereby disbanded."

"An empty gesture," Azula commented. "This uprising already broke their power over the city."

"True," Jet said. He grabbed the parchment and hummed to himself. "But this may be worth looking into." Jet glanced at Mai, the girl that opened his eyes to the Dai Li atrocities beneath Lake Laogai. "Do you want to come along?"

"That's probably not a good idea," Mai answered. "I'm sure you can handle it."

Zuko watched Jet leave with two of his freedom fighters, off to represent the people of Ba Sing Se at the negotiating table. Once they were out of sight Zuko faced Mai and Azula. "Do either of you have any ideas to gatecrash the negotiations?"

Mai hummed and thought about possible ways to reach the palace. She saw some of the liberated women from the underground base nearby, telling their story to the other peasants rebelling. "You two sneak ahead, I'll accelerate this revolt."

* * *

><p>Beneath Ba Sing Se a lone earthbender tunneled his way towards the center of the city. Long Feng was dripping wet and exhausted from the previous night, but had no time to sleep or make himself presentable. Time was against him, with his Dai Li crippled and the Avatar having a head start on reaching the Earth King.<p>

Eventually the tunnel broke through into the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, mainly used for harvesting the natural crystals there. The occasional nonbender would be imprisoned there, but only when regular prison cells were full. Inside the cavern lit by glowing green crystals Long Feng starting earthbending himself upward on a pillar of stone, opening a vertical shaft when he reached the ceiling.

On the other side of the bedrock Long Feng emerged in the basement of the palace, bypassing all of the security guarding the building. He hurried through the palace, making up a story for the Earth King on his way towards the throne room. Instead of entering the throne room itself Long Feng entered a secret room behind the throne, intended for earthbending bodyguards to be hidden inside. There was one such bodyguard inside at the time, surprised by Long Feng's appearance long enough to be vulnerable to a knockout punch to the head.

Small holes in the wall between the secret room and the throne allowed Long Feng to listen in anything happening on the other side. He could hear the Earth King's breath from the throne, observing something in front of him but not participating in the conversation. The Avatar was there too, discussing solutions to a crisis between General Howe and some kid Long Feng didn't recognize by voice. Carefully Long Feng earthbent a larger hole in the wall to see through, finding the Avatar's friends standing by the big fancy doors the Earth King liked. Toph was standing in the large doorway, too far away to sense Long Feng's presence without actively searching for it.

Cursing under his breath, Long Feng realized he was far too late to continue his deception of King Kuei. It was time to use his ace in the hole, to retain his power by any means necessary. With earthbending Long Feng smashed through the wall, destroyed the throne, and grabbed King Kuei and held a sharp piece of stone at his neck.

"Do anything, and the Earth King dies!" Long Feng threatened, seeing surprise and shock on every face in the room.

No one in the room obeyed the command. Generals in the room all took earthbending stances, Aang readied his staff, Sokka prepared to throw his boomerang, Haru and Toph pulled rocks out the floor, Jet and his freedom fighters drew their weapons, Suki whipped out a new pair of war fans, and Katara bent ice over her ears before forming a water whip.

"You've already lost Long Feng!" Sokka yelled. "No matter how this goes, you lose."

"Oh no, I still have one last move," Long Feng gloated. "Now do as I say, or suffer mutually assured destruction."

Aang glanced at Katara, seeing the ice on her ears to silence any mind control phrases. "You're bluffing!"

"Mad it is then," Long Feng said, glaring at Aang. "Avatar, the Earth King had invited you to Lake Laogai."

Nothing happened.

"Avatar! The Earth King had invited you to Lake Laogai!"

"Is this supposed to be the part where I go crazy and start attacking everyone?" Aang asked, not even feeling a subconscious urge to do anything wrong. "I must have missed that memo."

Long Feng scowled, vowing to kill the mindbender that was supposed to condition the Avatar. He still had the sharp stone at King Kuei's neck. "All of you will leave now, or he dies."

"Kill him, and you lose your only bargaining chip," Jet argued.

"Let him go before you do something stupid!" Toph yelled. Suddenly she noticed the presence of two people in the hallway behind her, recognizing them from the underground base. It was Sparky and the girl that used to wear a mask, both moving their arms in a circular motion that charged energy at their fingertips. "Everyone get down!"

At the same time Zuko and Azula fired twin bolts of lightning, aimed at Toph and at Katara in front of her. Toph ducked in time to dodge the lightning aimed at her head, but Katara didn't hear the warning. Haru tackled Katara to get her out of the way, both tumbling onto the floor. Zuko's lightning aimed at Toph struck Jet, while Azula's lightning towards Katara hit Long Feng and King Kuei.

As three dead bodies fell to the floor Aang's jaw dropped at the sight. He turned around and saw Azula and Zuko combining their firebending to send a wave of red and blue flames into the throne room. Aang countered with his own firebending, piercing the mixed flames with a stream of fire. As the flames dispersed Aang saw Azula and Zuko ducking into side rooms from the hallway. Behind where they used to stand was Mai, leading a charge of peasants into the palace.

Mai saw the dead bodies in the throne room, and that the last person seen firebending was the Avatar. Zuko and Azula were already out of sight in the side rooms, and it was all too easy to pin the blame on the wrong firebender. "The Avatar killed Jet and the Earth King!" Mai accused, pointing at him for the peasants' benefit. "The Avatar has betrayed us all!"

Mob mentality consumed the peasants, rushing forward in a lust for blood. Wielding every weapon imaginable in addition to earthbending, they'd be a formidable army if properly trained. Hundreds ran into the throne room, leaving Mai to watch. Aang and the others in the throne room didn't like the odds, especially when the aggression was misguided.

"Don't hurt anyone!" Aang yelled.

"Tell that to them!" Toph yelled back. With earthbending she made the sunk the floor in front of the peasants fifteen feet, sending dozens tumbling down until enough bodies filled the hole.

More angry peasants flooded into the throne room, trampling over the bodies of those who came before them. Katara bent some of her water to the ground and froze it, making some of the peasants slip on top of it. Haru and the generals earthbent walls to slow down the mob until enemy earthbenders demolished them. Aang blew as much air as he could against the rushing mob, but it only slowed them down. There were simply too many people to fight without killing them.

"**Enough!" **Aang shouted, his eyes and tattoos glowing while his voice echoed with the voices of a thousand Avatars. Air swirled around Aang and lifted him up, giving everyone a clear view of the Avatar State. Flames erupted from his hands and coalesced into ring of fire around him, while stone was ripped from the floor into another ring. Water was pulled out of the air and ripped away from Katara's bending, forming a third ring around Aang.

The mob stopped in its tracks, mesmerized by the sight. Beholding the Avatar at his most powerful was too much for many of the people, fearing the wrath of the world's very spirit. Katara and the others regrouped around the Avatar, exploiting the reprieve granted by the display of power. But there was one person that did not stand idly by while the peasants dropped to their hands and knees in fear.

Zuko used a blast of lightning to demolish a wall between the side room he was in and the throne room. He saw the elements swirling around the Avatar, and decided to use his ace in the hole. "Avatar!" Zuko yelled at the top of his voice. "The Fire Lord has invited you to Ember Island!"

The phrase seemed to echo in Aang's mind, despite the presence of all the other Avatars in the collective consciousness of the Avatar State. The subconscious programming affected Aang's mind, but not the rest of the Avatars with him. Only part of the Avatar followed the planted command to reverse his sense of right and wrong, the rest trying to prevent the intended chaos. The glow in Aang's eyes and tattoos flickered on and off as the internal conflict disrupted the Avatar State. The three elemental rings wobbled out of alignment and collided with each other, scattering the elements apart. Unstable power from the Avatar started to shake the very foundations of the palace, spreading cracks throughout the entire structure.

"Aang! Stop!" Katara screamed.

"You're bringing this whole place down!" Suki screamed.

"Everyone get some cover!" Sokka yelled.

Toph bent a stone dome for herself and Sokka, while Haru did the same for him, Katara and Suki. The generals in the room made their own rock barrier, shielding Jet's freedom fighters with it. Zuko retreated into the side room he entered from, ducking beneath a large bed inside. From the other side room Azula fled out of the palace, catching up with Mai outside just as the roof collapsed around the Avatar.

The entire city felt was seemed like an earthquake. The sound of the imploding palace could be heard as far away as the outer wall, and a cloud of dust rising from the center of Ba Sing Se could be seen all the way from the giant drill still under repair. Air rushing out of the falling building blew away everyone nearby, some flying as far as the innermost wall. As the dust cleared away rubble lay in the center of the upper ring, only small pieces of the palace still standing.

* * *

><p>Zuko woke up still beneath the bed he had hid under, the soft mattress shielding him from being crushed by the ceiling. Slowly he pushed it and rubble aside, getting to his feet. Bruised and battered, the prince wondered just how long he had been out. Moonlight shined into the rubble around him, telling Zuko that it had to have been several hours in order for night to fall.<p>

"Okay, mindbending is unreliable," Zuko muttered, rubbing his head. He noticed that his hair was loose, his usual topknot came apart in the collapse. Zuko didn't like leaving his hair like that, as he believed it made him look like someone else.

Hearing no one else nearby, Zuko guessed that he was the first to regain consciousness. Looking around he only saw one person not buried in rubble, Aang in the center of what used to be the palace. On his chest and unconscious, Aang was completely vulnerable. Zuko walked through the rubble towards Aang, lighting a flame in his hand to finish the job.

Aang groaned and opened his eyes, his vision slightly blurred. He pushed his chest up with his arms and looked forward, seeing the Fire Nation teenager approaching. "Where are we Kuzon?"

Immediately Zuko stopped in front of Aang, extinguishing the flame in his hand. He had no idea who Kuzon was, but guessed that it must be someone Aang knew long ago. Zuko held out one hand to Aang, who accepted it and let Zuko help him up. "You don't remember?" Zuko asked.

Nearby rubble was shoved away, revealing Katara and Suki climbing out with an about to collapse Haru. "Aang, are you alright?" Katara asked, before seeing him standing next to Zuko.

"How do you know my name?" Aang asked, wondering who the Water Tribe girl was.

Horror spread over Katara's face, and turned to anger at Zuko. "What have you done to him?"

"Who are they?" Aang asked.

Turning his head away from Aang and towards Katara, Zuko smirked. "Our mortal enemies." In the corner of his eye Zuko spotted a hole in the rubble that lead below ground. Zuko gently pushed Aang towards the hole and away from Katara. "We're outnumbered, go, I'll cover you," Zuko ordered, and then started throwing fire at Katara and her friends.

Haru formed a rock wall to protect himself, while Katara bent water into a shield. Suki leaped to the side and saw Aang running for the hole in the ground. At the last step Aang looked back, but only for a moment before jumping down. Zuko made a wall of fire before following Aang into the hole, and once he was deep enough inside Zuko blasted the rock with enough fire to collapse the entrance. By the time Haru reopened the path with earthbending Aang and Zuko were gone.

More nearby rubble was shoved away as Sokka and Toph climbed out. Sokka saw his sister and her friends, on the verge of tears. "Where's Aang?" Sokka asked.

Katara dropped to her knees. "Gone."

"Gone?" Sokka questioned. "He can't be dead."

"No," Suki corrected. "Worse."

* * *

><p>Emerging from below ground near the innermost wall, Aang and Zuko left Ba Sing Se as quickly as possible. Every gate in the city walls had been left wide open by the revolting populace, and without any law enforcement there was nothing preventing anyone from leaving. In the Agrarian Zone Zuko and Aang crossed paths with Azula and Mai.<p>

On sight Mai drew one of her knives while Azula prepared to firebend, but Zuko held up one hand to tell them to stop. "Whoa there," Zuko said. "That's no way to greet a long lost comrade."

Azula looked at Aang in the moonlight, seeing no sign of hostility. "Explain," Azula demanded.

Zuko smiled. "Air Nomad Aang is on our side."

_A/N: And that's the end of Season 2. I believe it is mandatory for this point in any Avatar story that there be some kind of catastrophe, and this is no exception. Due to another story I'm working on, this one will be taking another hiatus. I'm not abandoning the story here, but I just have other priorities at the moment._


	28. The Deception

_A/N: It's here, it's finally here. The long wait is over. We can finally enjoy the Legend of Korra: Book 2!_

_On a microscopically less important note, this story is finally in Season 3. Unless something drastic happens there should be an update shortly after each new episode of Korra._

Chapter 27: The Deception

Near the mountains west of Ba Sing Se was a permanent Fire Nation military outpost called Minara, from which the majority of military campaigns for the eastern Earth Kingdom were launched. A small city in its own right, thousands of civilian colonists provided many essential services for the soldiers. A low wall surrounded the military buildings and defined the outpost's official borders, but many rows of tents spread out from the walls to house the civilian population. At the very center was a metal tower that overlooked the outpost, intended for the generals that managed the campaigns.

On a balcony in the tower, Prince Zuko gazed upon a gathered crowd below filled with soldiers and civilians alike. Everyone was required to hear the announcement Zuko was going to make, as there were many rumors about the Air Nomad that Zuko had brought with him. "Attention!" Zuko said, making his voice as loud as possible. "Our new guest is currently in isolation, to help ease his transition. And when Aang emerges, he is to be shown every courtesy." Zuko paused to let the message sink in, seeing many of the people whispering to each other. He held up a hand to tell them he wasn't finished. "And the first to address him as _Avatar_ Aang, will have their tongue burned off."

That warning silenced the entire crowd, until Zuko turned around to walk inside the tower. Just inside the doors was Princess Azula, leaning her back against the wall after listening to her brother's little speech. "This is a bad idea, and you know it," Azula warned.

"I'll admit it's risky, but the payoff should be worth it," Zuko said, walking past Azula. He heard her start walking behind him. "Is the evidence ready?"

"Yes," Azula answered, following Zuko into a stairwell and headed down. "But are you certain he must know about the massacre?"

"He's going to find out about it at some point," Zuko reasoned, walking down the stairs into the basement. "I'd prefer that Aang hears a version that puts us in a good light."

Just outside the bottom of the stairs was a long hallway that composed the basement, having several rooms behind metal doors. Walking from the other end was a Fire Sage, summoned from one of the temples in the Fire Nation. Like all sages he wore red robes with a red cap covering his hair, leaving only his face and a short brown goatee exposed. The sage was carrying a large bag filled with various items, on his way to return them to the Fire Nation for safekeeping.

"Prince Zuko, Princess Azula," the sage greeted, making a polite bow.

"Sage Shiyu," Zuko greeted back. "Have you tested our new airbending friend?"

"I have," Shiyu answered. He carefully set down his large bag and opened it, letting Zuko and Azula see many different toys and trinkets inside. "The Air Nomads tested their young by having them all play with the same collection of toys, taking notice whenever a child would choose a relic of a past Avatar."

"And those relics are among those toys?" Azula asked.

"Indeed," Shiyu said, nodding his head. He reached into the bag to remove four specific toys, a clay turtle, a wind-up propeller, a wooden monkey, and a hand drum. "These belonged to past Avatars."

"Get to the point," Azula ordered.

"Aang chose wrong," Shiyu answered. He put away the relics and took four new toys out of the bag, a stuffed tortoise, a wind sock, a stone ape, and a finger trap. "These were all made within the last five years, and Aang chose them instead of the relics."

"What does that tell us?" Zuko asked.

"If his identity wasn't obvious, I'd say we have the wrong Air Nomad," Shiyu answered, putting away the toys and closing the bag. "This is only a theory, but what you did in Ba Sing Se might have severed his connection to his past lives."

"Is that even possible?" Azula asked.

Shiyu shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea. All I have to go on is speculation. There's no record of anything like this happening before."

"I see," Zuko said. "That will be all Shiyu."

"Of course," Shiyu said, picking up his bag and walking away.

Zuko and Azula resumed their walk down the long hallway, heading for a room at the end and entering it. That room had thick metal walls with cushioned insulation, preventing any sound from getting in or out. Inside the room Aang was lying back on a tilted chair and next to him was Mai. She was sewing on Aang's sleeve, adding the Fire Nation insignia to the shoulders.

"Welcome to the winning team," Mai said when she was finished.

Aang saw Zuko and Azula entering the room. "Hey there Ku… I'm sorry… Zuko."

"Don't be," Zuko said. "It's not your fault that I resemble the friend you lost."

"So what have I missed?" Aang asked, getting up from the chair.

"First, let's start with the last thing you do remember," Zuko suggested.

"Well the monks wanted to see me in private," Aang answered, remembering how they interrupted his attempt to show the other airbenders how to use the airsphere technique he invented. "It was just me in that room with them, and they were going to tell me something very important." Aang tried to remember what happened next. "Then nothing, nothing at all."

Zuko put a hand to his chin and thought about Aang's last memory. He guessed that the monks had told Aang that he was the Avatar on that day, and found it odd that the memory loss would start at that exact moment. "The monks must have seen it coming."

"Seen what coming?" Aang asked.

"Come," Zuko said, turning towards the door. "There's something you need to see."

Together Zuko and Aang left the room, leaving Azula and Mai behind. They climbed up the tower's stairs and entered a corridor halfway up it. Zuko slowed his pace to a leisurely walk as he led Aang around the tower. "A lot has changed in the world, you've been gone a very long time," Zuko explained.

"How long?" Aang asked, not liking where Zuko was going with the conversation.

"A hundred years," Zuko said.

"What!" Aang shouted. "That's impossible!"

"And yet, here you are," Zuko reasoned. He didn't go into any details about how Aang could have remained a kid after all this time, as that was something that he didn't know either. Down the hallway he saw the evidence set up for the ruse, an old tapestry on the wall currently covered behind a curtain. "You were hidden away all this time."

"Why?" Aang asked.

"Because the Avatar's careless actions led to this," Zuko said, reaching the tapestry and pulling off the curtain covering it.

When Aang saw the revealed tapestry he gasped in shock. It depicted the sky ablaze in the presence of Sozin's Comet, and the four Air Temples burning. "No…" Aang muttered.

"Avatar Ong started a war with the Fire Nation, seeking to expand the Western Air Temple into our territory," Zuko lied. "For betraying his purpose in the world, the spirits sent the comet to give the Fire Nation the power to defend itself."

Aang dropped to his knees, fearing what had happened to his people. "Why would the Avatar do this?" Aang questioned. "War isn't our way."

"The Avatar is the ultimate authority to the nation he's born in," Zuko said. "He forced your people to fight to the last airbender, forcing mine to do the unthinkable. We had no choice but to wipe out the Air Nomads in self-defense, and we've been trying to atone for that sin ever since."

"Where is Avatar Ong?" Aang demanded, sorely tempted to abandon his beliefs for vengeance.

"He died fifteen years ago and reincarnated in the Water Tribe," Zuko answered, setting up the next fabrication courtesy of Azula knowing an enemy's name. "That girl you saw in Ba Sing Se was Avatar Katara, and she leads the other nations against the Fire Nation."

Standing up straight, Aang took one more look at the tapestry and the destruction it represented. "Zuko, I promise I will do my part to stop the Avatar's war of aggression." Aang raised one fist and held it over his heart. "I swear it, with all my spirit."

* * *

><p>A week later Azula and Mai were walking through the streets of Minara, heading towards the low wall on the northern end closer to the mountains. Zuko had given Aang his own small house there, and Azula wanted to check up on the Air Nomad. She didn't trust him at all, suspecting that his memory could return at any moment. Mai just wanted to be with her friend, having nothing else to keep her attention occupied.<p>

"So what does your brother have Aang doing?" Mai asked as she walked beside Azula.

"Remember in school how we were taught that everything in the Air Temples was burned to the ground?" Azula asked.

"Seemed like a waste," Mai commented.

"Well it wasn't entirely true," Azula said. "Some parts of the Air Temples survived Sozin's Comet, and the army salvaged many texts from the ruins."

"Sounds boring," Mai said.

Azula slowed her pace as they approached the wooden house a few blocks from the outpost's northern wall. "Most of it was, but there are some tomes and scrolls written in a text that we couldn't decipher."

Mai only needed a second to guess where Azula was going with that train of thought. "Which an Air Nomad from a hundred years ago should have no trouble translating." Mai stopped in front of the house, observing that it was unguarded. "Shouldn't there be more security around here?"

"Zuko thinks that Aang will perform best if he doesn't feel confined," Azula answered. She gestured to the buildings around the house that Aang resided in, one of which had a pair of soldiers in front of it. "But he also made sure that Aang's new home is right next door to the logistics warehouse."

"Which is under constant guard," Mai observed. "Well played."

Azula opened the door into the house and stepped inside with Mai. They saw Aang sitting at a desk with a book and a piece of parchment in front of him, one hand tracing his fingers over raised bumps on the book's pages while the other hand held a brush that wrote on the parchment. Aang heard Azula and Mai enter, so he got up from his seat and faced them.

"How's your project coming along?" Azula asked.

"Slow," Aang admitted, gesturing to the parchment he had been writing on. There were only a few pages worth of translated text on it. "I was never very good at braille."

"But you can read it, right?" Azula asked, walking over to the table and looking at the book. How anyone could think that reading with fingers was a good idea Azula didn't know.

"I just need to take my time with it," Aang said.

Tracing her fingers over the raised bumps on a page, Azula wondered what knowledge it possessed. "What is this book about?"

"It appears to be a journal about the sky bison," Aang guessed. "During the fall months we would allow our bison to graze with the wild herds."

"Wild herds?" Azula questioned.

"Well I never got to see them, but we didn't have enough room at the temples to domesticate all of the bison in the world," Aang explained.

"I see," Azula muttered, thinking about the possibilities. "Well we should let you get back to your project."

Before Azula and Mai could leave Aang had one a question, being a little curious about something he'd noticed over the last few days. "Hey Azula, I overheard some guys talking about someone important going missing, something about a Minister Qin. Who is he?"

Not expecting that question, Azula made up a lie on the spot. "Sadly, Minister Qin is dead."

* * *

><p>That night a former Fire Nation officer was lurking in the forest near Minara, using moonlight to see where he was going. Minister Qin had tried to return to active duty after revealing the giant drill to the enemy, but that treachery had quickly been discovered. Now on the run as a traitor with a bounty on his head, Qin focused on surviving more than anything else. But he needed food and money to continue running from the Fire Nation, and Minara was the only place in the immediate area to get it.<p>

Qin's old uniform was stained and ragged from being in the wilderness, he only wore it because it was the only clothing he still had with him. Sticking to the shadows Qin snuck through the tents that civilians had set up around the outpost's wall, trying to be as quiet as possible. On his way Qin stole a spare tent pole and used it to pole vault over the wall and land on the other side.

The interior of the wall had ladders spaced out every dozen feet, to allow troops to deploy in any direction without needing to pass through gates. Qin planned to use them to leave once he acquired the supplies he needed from inside the outpost. He headed towards the northern end of the outpost, where the logistics warehouse contained rations and money.

Finding the warehouse protected by two guards, Qin dusted off his uniform and approached them. On sight the guards assumed firebending stances. "Qin!" they shouted.

"That's _Minister_ Qin," he corrected, walking as if he had every right to be there. "Stand down, immediately."

"Sorry sir, Prince Zuko's orders," one guard said. "You're under arrest for treason."

"Well in that case," Qin muttered. He slipped a dagger out from his sleeve and stabbed one guard in the chest. When the other started firebending at him Qin used the dying guard as a shield, then threw the body at the attacking guard. Before the guard could get back up Qin retrieved his dagger and slit the guard's throat.

With no time to waste Qin raided the warehouse, filling a bag with preserved food and another with gold and silver coins. But when he was finished Qin heard soldiers moving towards him, and looked for a place to hide until the soldiers could pass. There was an unguarded house nearby, which Qin found suitable for hiding inside. He hurried to the door and opened it, getting inside and closing the door without bothering to see what was inside the brightly lit room.

Hearing someone else inside, Qin turned around. He could not believe his eyes. "Avatar Aang?"

Aang jaw hung as he gasped, shocked by Qin calling him the Avatar. "Why did you call me that?"

Confused, Qin hesitated for a moment. "Why wouldn't I?" Qin said.

"Because I'm just Aang, I'm not the Avatar."

Only then did Qin notice the Fire Nation insignia on Aang's shoulders. "Oh I see," Qin said, wondering what kind of game Aang was playing. "You reminded me of someone I once knew."

"You're Qin right?" Aang asked, recognizing him from a poster he had seen in the outpost. "Azula said you were dead."

Qin chuckled at that claim. "If she had her way, I would be."

"Why would she want you dead?" Aang asked.

Qin couldn't help but laugh. "You really are being kept in the dark."

Suddenly the door was thrown open by soldiers outside. "Qin, surrender!"

Instead of obeying the demand Qin made a panicky scream before grabbing Aang's arm and throwing him into the soldiers. Under orders to not harm the Air Nomad, the soldiers had no choice but to allow Aang to slam into them. Qin ran for his life, forgetting to grab the bags of supplies he had stolen. Dodging firebending from the soldiers Qin headed straight for the wall, climbing up one of the ladders.

Running through the maze of tents around the wall Qin thought he was going to get away. But one fireball struck his left shoulder, making Qin scream in pain. His left arm hung limp as he continued running, getting out of Minara and into the forest beyond. Soldiers stopped at the tree line, refusing to weaken the outpost's defenses just to pursue one man.

Once Qin felt he had lost the pursuit he slowed his pace, clutching the limp arm. Not far into the forest was a hideout Qin used, a small ravine hidden by fallen trees. Qin sat on rocks inside the ravine, trying to suppress the pain in his shoulder. But without medical attention the burn could take his life. To Qin's side was a cage containing a single red messenger bird, stolen from an outpost closer to the giant drill. Qin knew just who to send it to in order to get help.

* * *

><p>Prince Zuko was not happy when he was woken up in the night by his guards, learning of the breach in security. Immediately he left his room in the Minara's tower and headed for the house Aang was given, intending to rectify any damage Qin may have caused. He found Aang inside the house, sitting in a chair while a medic examined him for any harm.<p>

"How are you doing?" Zuko asked when he entered.

"I'm fine," Aang answered, watching the medic finish and leave the house. "But why would your sister tell me Qin was dead?"

"Because he is dead to our cause," Zuko answered, walking over to Aang's desk and looking at translated text. "Qin was once the Fire Nation's best idea man, creating many inventions that allowed us to prosper. Until he turned traitor and joined the Avatar."

"I see," Aang muttered. He grabbed a nearby scroll and tried to read the braille on it, but was having trouble focusing on it.

"Did Qin say anything troubling?" Zuko asked, noticing Aang's discomfort.

"No," Aang lied. He was thinking about how Qin had called him Avatar Aang, but wasn't about to admit it. "I'm just feeling a little strained from everything going on lately."

"Maybe it would be best to just forget about the incident and focus on your project," Zuko suggested, turning to head out the door.

Aang set the scroll aside and got up from his chair, wanting something else to do. "Hey Zuko, is there anything fun around here? It would really help me feel better."

Zuko placed one hand on his chin and thought about that request. While he wanted Aang to only work on translating the Air Nomad texts, a small bit of entertainment could make Aang more cooperative. There was also an event coming up that Zuko wanted to see, which would be convenient to keep the Air Nomad in line.

"As a matter of fact, there is," Zuko answered. "I believe the circus is coming to town."


	29. The Eastern Air Temple

Chapter 28: The Eastern Air Temple

Katara and her friends left Ba Sing Se without a destination in mind. They all climbed into Appa's saddle and let the bison fly wherever he wanted to go. No one said a word while in the air, in denial about just how badly matters had gone in the city. The only stronghold left against the Fire Nation was leaderless and in turmoil, vulnerable to the Fire Nation if the outer wall was breached. And without Aang to give the Earth Kingdom people hope to continue fighting, the war might as well be lost.

Sokka considered taking everyone south to rally the Water Tribes, hoping that Pakku and Yue had met Gran Gran and integrated the two tribes into one by now. Suki thought about returning to Kyoshi Island and gathering the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors and leading the charge to rescue Aang. Haru believed that they should find as many Earth Kingdom rebels as they could find and make a stand against the Fire Nation. Toph just wanted to get back on the ground, hating being in the air.

Over the course of a week no one seemed to notice that Appa was taking them southeast past Chameleon Bay, heading to a place that none of the passengers had been to before. It was a small island chain with mountains on it shrouded in clouds. Hidden in the clouds was a temple, spread across three mountain peaks. It was a painful sight for Katara, as it made her miss Aang even more.

"Where are we?" Toph asked, truly blind in the air.

"An Air Temple," Suki answered.

Appa landed at the base of the temple and waited for everyone to get off. Once the saddle was empty Appa wandered into the temple, roaming the areas that should have been filled with young sky bison. One room had an old honey feeder, now filled with slime and dust. While exploring the temple everyone picked their own room, as there were dozens left empty from a century of neglect.

In one bedroom Katara was alone with Toph, as the others were trying to make their own rooms livable. There was only an old bed and a rotting empty bookshelf inside, but Toph didn't mind. Katara had picked a room next to it for herself, but wanted to talk with the blind girl. "Hey Toph, I have to ask. Are you and Sokka an… um…"

"An item?" Toph finished.

"Yes, that," Katara asked.

"No," Toph answered. A wide grin spread on her face. "But he did find a girlfriend up north."

"What?" Katara said, not expecting that response. "Who?"

"Some Princess What's-Her-Name," Toph said. "I forget."

"Right," Katara said, thinking that Toph was messing with her now. She turned for the door to leave Toph alone. "Well goodnight then."

Toph laid back in the old and stiff bed, barely better than being on the floor. Right when Katara was almost out the door Toph sensed an unfamiliar set of vibrations on the edge of her range. "Hey wait, there's someone else here!"

Immediately Katara's thoughts turned to the worst, that a Fire Nation spy had seen and followed Appa to the temple. "Where?" Katara demanded, seeing Toph already getting up and running out of the room. She followed Toph to a balcony outside, illuminated by the moon and stars above.

Sitting there was a bald, bearded, old man facing away from the temple, his dark skin partially covered by orange clothes. He didn't seem to notice Katara or Toph, focusing on his meditation. The girls slowly walked up to the man, but still got no response. Katara walked in front of him, seeing his closed eyes and his long white beard.

"Hello?" Katara said.

The old man opened his eyes and saw Katara, smiling at the sight of company. "Hello, I am Guru Pathik."

"Do you live here?" Toph asked.

"Yes, until I can fulfill my purpose in life," Pathik answered.

"And what is that purpose?" Katara asked.

"I had a vision many years ago of helping the Avatar," Pathik explained.

"Aang!" Katara interrupted.

"You know the Avatar?" Pathik asked. "My vision didn't show any companions with him."

"He's not with us now," Katara said, hating to face the truth. "Aang's lost his mind."

For a moment Pathik didn't say anything, taking his time to interpret the news. "Troubling," he muttered, thinking of several ways a lost Avatar could harm the world's balance. "What happened?"

"We were in trouble, and Aang went into the Avatar State," Katara described.

"But Sparky brainwashed him earlier," Toph interrupted, remembering that Zuko and the masked girl had gotten to Aang first at Lake Laogai. "He said some magic words that messed up Aang's mind."

Pathik twisted his body to look at Toph behind him, desiring more details from her. "Was the Avatar in the Avatar State when this Sparky person brainwashed him?"

"Of course not," Toph answered. Having witnessed the power of the Avatar State firsthand Toph knew that it was impossible to imprison. "Aang would have busted himself out if he was in that state."

Stroking his beard Pathik pondered the implications of someone attempting to control the mind of an Avatar. Decades ago he had heard stories of the mindbending art practiced in Ba Sing Se, passing by the city on his journey to the Eastern Air Temple. It was originally intended for the rehabilitation of criminals, to make them law abiding citizens without the need for prisons. "An Avatar's mind changes in the Avatar State, as I'm sure you've noticed as his companions."

"He does get a lot more violent," Katara answered.

With a nod Pathik continued his speculation. "In the Avatar State his consciousness is shared by all of his past lives, which are not affected by changes in the current incarnation. Only Aang would be altered by the brainwashing, and in the Avatar State his mind is just one voice among many."

"Question," Toph interrupted, raising one hand. "How do you know all this?"

"Avatar Roku once described it to me," Pathik answered.

"So you're over a hundred and twelve years old?" Toph asked.

Pathik chuckled for a second. "One hundred and fifty."

"Right…" Toph said, not believing the age Pathik claimed to be.

Wanting to get the conversation back on track Katara cleared her throat. "So the Avatar State doesn't mix with the brainwashing?"

"That may be correct," Pathik said. "Tell me, what do you mean by 'lost his mind?'"

"Aang didn't remember us," Katara answered, feeling guilty for not trying harder to stop Zuko from taking Aang away from her.

"But he knew Sparky," Toph said. "Aang must have thought he was someone else."

"Perplexing," Pathik said. "I don't have an answer for that. But I will meditate on this, and maybe the spirits of Avatars past will show it to us."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Suki was exploring other parts of the temple, finding herself unable to sleep. Wandering into a half destroyed shrine, Suki found statues of Air Nomad women still intact. There were plaques at the bases of the statues, but most of the names on them had been erased by a hundred years of erosion. A larger statue was still intact at the head of the shrine, though Suki could barely read its plaque in the moonlight.<p>

"Avatar Yangchen," Suki muttered, hoping that she read the half erased words right. The statue reminded her of the memorial statue of Avatar Kyoshi on her home island, and made her wonder how the other warriors were faring after she left them. Now Suki wished that she had a means to contact the Kyoshi Warriors and get their help in rescuing Aang.

Suki was yanked out of her thoughts by a nearby wall collapsing, and when the dust cleared she saw Haru coming through the new hole. "Hey," Haru said.

"Why did you do that?" Suki asked.

"I got lost, needed a way out," Haru answered. He looked up through the broken ceiling, noticing how late it was by the moon's position. "You couldn't sleep either?"

"Obviously," Suki said.

Looking around Haru saw the statue of Avatar Yangchen and read the name on the plaque. "Do you know anything about this Avatar?"

"Only that she came before Kyoshi," Suki answered.

Footsteps stopped the conversation, until Haru and Suki spotted Sokka wandering into the shrine. "Did I intrude on something?" Sokka asked.

"No," Haru said.

"Okay," Sokka said, walking toward his friends. "Have either of you seen Katara or Toph anywhere?"

As if on cue the earth moved beneath Sokka's feet, making him fall flat on his face. "Found them!" Toph yelled.

Grumbling under his breath Sokka got back on his feet. "You know, there are other people to pick on now!"

Toph entered the shrine with a grin on her face, while Katara was beside her and trying to suppress a snicker. "But you're just so easy," Toph said.

"Guys, we found someone already living here," Katara said. "Some guru named Pathik."

"So we have a landlord?" Haru asked.

"He might be able to help us get Aang back," Katara said.

"Might?" Sokka questioned.

"Well we don't have any other ideas," Katara said.

Suddenly a loud bird's screech interrupted the conversation. "Unless one drops out of the sky," Toph commented.

A red bird flew into the shrine and landed by the statue, and on its back was a cylindrical container. "Is that a messenger bird?" Haru asked.

"How'd it find us here?" Suki asked.

Sokka shrugged and walked up to the bird. "I'm not an expert on the species." He opened the container and pulled out a rolled piece of parchment. Handing the parchment over to Katara he took the bird and held it on his wrist. "But I think he's a keeper."

Wondering who sent the bird Katara unrolled the parchment and started reading it. "It's a message… for me?" she muttered, surprised to find her name at the top.

"What does it say?" Toph asked.

Slowly Katara started reading the message aloud. "I have obtained information regarding your leader. Bring water and food, come alone." There was a crudely drawn map after the message, and below that was a signature. "_Qin!_"

* * *

><p>In his hideout ravine Qin struggled to suppress the pain in his burned arm, but it was difficult as there was nothing else to do while waiting for the waterbender to arrive and heal it. His patience was about to run out when he heard the roar of a sky bison above him, and he slowly crawled out of the ravine into the forest around it. Qin saw the sky bison land in the forest, and three girls climbed out of the saddle.<p>

"I told you to come alone!" Qin complained, recognizing Katara and Suki but having no idea who the blind girl was.

"Like we would blindly trust you?" Suki said.

"Start talking," Katara demanded. "Where's Aang?"

With his free hand Qin pointed at the burn on his arm. "Fix me up and maybe I'll tell you." When Katara didn't move Qin figured that a different choice of words was necessary. "Have sympathy, I'm badly burned."

Still not walking towards Qin, Katara only crossed her arms. "Then speak quickly. Where's Aang?"

"A Fire Nation base," Qin answered.

"Which is located _where_?" Suki demanded.

Qin sighed before becoming specific. "About a mile west of here by the mountains, it has a tower in the middle. But you'll never fight your way in, even with that sky bison."

Toph stepped ahead of Katara, sensing no danger from Qin. "Then how did you pull it off?"

"I _was_ a war minister, remember?" Qin said. He tapped one finger against his head. "I designed the layout of that base and many others like it. The method I just used won't work now, for obvious reasons, but there here is another way to get inside the base that only I know."

"How do we get inside?" Katara asked.

Qin tapped his burned arm again. "That secret stays with me until this is healed."

Katara bent some water onto her hands and walked up to Qin, pressing the water against the burn and healing it. When Katara was finished healing only a light scar remained on Qin's arm, a result of leaving the burn unattended too long before treatment. "Now where's this entrance?"

Standing up and feeling the pain disappear, Qin stretched the healed arm. "A few years ago I conscripted some earthbenders to make a tunnel underneath the base, just in case it was every under siege and I needed an escape route. It leads directly to the central tower and some adjacent buildings, which was difficult to pull off considering the temple that was in the way.

"Temple?" Suki interrupted. "Why would there be a temple underground?"

"It was buried a long time ago, and the engineers that designed the tower were unaware of its existence," Qin answered. "I think it was meant for the Fire Nation Avatar before Roku, but that's not the point. The tunnel goes past it and comes out at the base of the closest mountain, well outside all security patrols."

"So that's our way in?" Suki asked. "Rescuing the Avatar by going through an Avatar's temple?"

"Sounds too good to be true," Toph said.

"Yes," Qin agreed. "It won't do you any good if the Avatar doesn't want to be rescued."

"Explain," Katara demanded, wanting to hear any news of Aang's condition. When Qin rubbed his belly to imply that he wanted food in exchange for more information, Katara used a fast water whip to retrieve a basket of salted meats.

Once he had the food Qin set it aside. "Well, he seems to have lost his senses. He's convinced that he is not the Avatar."

"Tell us something we don't know," Toph said.

"What?" Qin blurted out. "How could you possibly know that?"

Katara turned away from Qin and started walking back to Appa. "Let's go, we got what we came for."

* * *

><p>Back at the air temple Sokka and Haru were walking towards the balcony that Pathik was meditating on. The messenger bird was on Sokka's shoulder, kept there by bits of meat jerky that Sokka fed it. Though the bird's red color clashed with his blue Water Tribe clothes, Sokka liked the animal. He thought it might make a good pet.<p>

"I think I'll call him Hawky," Sokka told Haru.

"You shouldn't get attached to it," Haru warned. "If we have it deliver a message you might never see it again."

Sokka frowned at that thought, but another thought made him smile. "Unless we only send messages to people we know will send him back."

"Like who?" Haru asked.

The first person that came to Sokka's mind was Yue, but he wasn't going to say that to a person he barely knew. "I'm sure Gran Gran would like to hear all about what Katara's been up to out here."

"On second thought, maybe we should just save the bird for something important," Haru suggested. He led the way out to the balcony, seeing Pathik still meditating. "That must be him."

"Hello there," Sokka said, walking up to Pathik. When the guru didn't respond Sokka got in front of Pathik and waved one hand in front of his face. "Is anybody home?"

Deep in meditation Pathik didn't hear Sokka, as he was experiencing a vision into the spirit world. Only able to see and hear into that realm, Pathik could not interact physically or spiritually with the spirits. The terrain he saw resembled a city left in ruins, and human bodies lay everywhere in it. At first Pathik thought they were a metaphor regarding the outcome of the war, until he recognized the body of Avatar Roku. Only then did Pathik realize that he was surrounded by the bodies of all the previous Avatars, slowly dying again while the current incarnation was out of balance.

Startling out of his meditative trance Pathik scared Sokka, making the teenager fall backward. "Sorry," Pathik apologized. "I didn't… mean…"

"What?" Sokka asked, seeing Pathik staring at him and finding it a little creepy. "Is there something on my face?"

Sensing a strong spiritual connection, Pathik stood up and took a step towards Sokka. "Where did you get that?"

Having no idea what Pathik was referring to, Sokka pointed to his new pet. "You mean Hawky?" he guessed.

Ignoring the wrong guess Pathik tapped one finger below Sokka's neck, hitting something hidden under his shirt. "That," Pathik corrected.

"Oh," Sokka said. Tugging on a string around his neck Sokka retrieved the vial of water from the oasis in the North Pole. "It was a gift from Master Pakku."

"From the Spirit Oasis," Pathik claimed.

"Yes," Sokka answered, wondering how Pathik could know about that. "Why does that matter?"

"That water is connected to the Spirit World," Pathik answered. "The mystical properties it has are unique in both realms. "

Sokka removed the string from around his neck and offered the vial to Pathik. "Can you use it to bring Aang back?"

Pathik pushed the vial back to Sokka. "It was entrusted to you. I cannot use it."

"Okay," Sokka muttered, tucking the vial away beneath his shirt. "Well carry on with your spirit thing, I'll stop bothering you."

As Sokka and Haru walked away from Pathik they went back inside the hallways, having not much better to do while waiting for the girls to come back. Haru wandered off to explore the temple some more, while Sokka walked back to a room he'd chosen to sleep in. In his room Sokka studied the bird for a while, especially the wings. They just seemed like a more of a natural way for something to fly than a sky bison.

"Just how far will these things go?" Sokka wondered aloud. He wrote a quick letter to his grandmother summarizing everything that happened since he left, along with a small note asking for her to send the bird back later. Then Sokka put the letter inside the bird's container and sent it off through a window, and in the moonlight Sokka watched the way the bird's wings moved through the air. "Safe travels Hawky."


	30. The Acrobat

Chapter 29: The Acrobat

On a yearlong tour around the world, the Fire Nation Circus set up shop next to Minara in the eastern Earth Kingdom. Last seen near Omashu and enjoyed by the troops stationed there, the carnival tents were a welcome sight by civilians that made their home around the military. Normally the circus only stayed in one place for two weeks, but generous donations by royal siblings had extended that time to a month. All of the performers knew that the money was just a bribe to keep the circus in place, allowing Prince Zuko and Princess Azula to see an old friend of theirs more often.

When all of the tents were set up and the attractions arranged properly the circus opened to the public. Civilians flooded into the circus, while soldiers had to draw lots for turns to attend without leaving the base undermanned. Morale among the troops skyrocketed as they enjoyed the shows and exhibits that the circus provided, many buying souvenirs to send to their families back home. In the crowds the distinction between civilians and off-duty soldiers disappeared, as everyone equally appreciated the entertainment.

Aang was having his best day ever, gleefully moving from one exhibit to another. He loved the exotic animal collection, most of the rare species in the world gathered in one place. Everything from lemur-lions to termite-tigers to bat-bears was on display, as well as an odd red furred ferret Aang had never heard of before. After seeing a polar bear-dog Aang walked outside into the dirt streets between tents, while Zuko and Azula followed behind him.

"This place is awesome!" Aang said, trying to decide where to go next. In the middle of the circus he saw the largest tent, so big that it could hide several buildings inside. Aang looked back to Zuko and Azula, while pointing at the tent. "Let's see what's in there!"

Starting to get out of breath from following Aang's excited pace, Zuko leaned against a bench to rest for a moment. "Does he ever tire out?" Zuko questioned.

"Nope," Azula answered, watching the Air Nomad run ahead. A glance around found Mai walked towards her, carrying a bag of fire flakes.

Casually snacking as she walked Mai stopped in front of Zuko. "Want some?" Mai asked, offering the bag to Zuko.

"Sure," Zuko said, taking a handful of fire flakes. The spicy taste was relatively weak in the blend used by circus cooks, requiring several mouthfuls before Zuko felt any spicy heat.

Azula started walking again before she could lose sight of Aang. "We better catch up to him," she suggested.

In front of the large tent was a long line of people waiting to get inside, wanting to see the acrobatic show. On sight Zuko and Azula were let in with Mai and Aang, as royalty never had to wait in line. They got the best seats in the house, up close to the stage in the center and elevated above the ground for a higher view. A few soldiers were nearby but kept a discreet distance from Aang, watching him while posing as Zuko's bodyguards.

Once the show was ready to begin the people from outside were allowed to enter, quickly filling every last seat. A low stage was in the center of the tent, with a safety net above it in case of an accident. One tightrope spanned the space above the net, along with several rope swings for the performers. Platforms at both ends of the tightrope had a dozen performers in bright pink color, honored to entertain the royal siblings.

In the center of the stage the elderly circus master addressed the audience. "Ladies, Gentlemen and children of all ages, I present to you, The Aerial Acrobats!"

With all the attention on the show, the performers started with a routine warm-up. They swung on the rope swings halfway across the stage, letting go in midair and crossing paths before grabbing onto the opposite swing. Next they doubled the act, swinging in pairs with one performer held on by the other and thrown across to be caught by another still in motion. A pair of performers ran on the tightrope from opposite ends and jumped off at the middle, diving down before others on the swings caught their feet.

At the top of the tent a teenage girl dropped in through a hole in the fabric, making her grand entrance. Wearing a gold tiara over her long brown hair, she dropped head first into the performance below. She grabbed the tightrope and stretched it halfway to the net before springing back up. Back in the air she took hold of one of the ropes suspending a swing, letting it spin around the tent.

Azula recognized the newest performer immediately, seeing her long brown braid. "There she is!" Azula said, pointing upward.

"Ty Lee," Zuko said, glad to see her again after so long.

Everyone watched Ty Lee let go and fall towards the net, seemingly with nothing else to stop her descent. But another performer was making a long swing and released his grip, flying across and grabbing Ty Lee's ankles. Together they flipped in the air, intersecting with a woman swinging towards the tightrope, who was holding onto the swing by her knees. She grabbed the other performer's ankles and let go of her swing, taking all three of them towards the tightrope. Ty Lee grabbed onto the tightrope and swung the others around it. The woman flipped up and landed with her feet on the tightrope, while the man stood on her shoulders. He flipped Ty Lee up and over him, letting her land on his shoulders.

The audience cheered for the performers, though the show had only finished the first act. Ty Lee bowed to the crowd below, still keeping her balance on top of the other performers. Zuko and Azula stood up and clapped louder, encouraging everyone around them to do the same. The standing ovation for Ty Lee was nearly deafening, even from the height she was at. It all went to Ty Lee's head, making her careless as she gave a very deep bow. Leaning forward just a little bit too far Ty Lee tipped over and lost her footing, falling off the other performer's shoulders.

People in the audience thought it was all part of the show, and that Ty Lee was supposed to fall to continue her performance. The other performers thought Ty Lee knew what she was doing, hesitating just long enough for Ty Lee to fall beyond their reach. But one person reacted fast enough to help Ty Lee, even from down below her. Aang bended a strong stream of wind upward towards Ty Lee, slowing her down just enough to let her grab the tightrope and swing back up onto it.

Before anyone could stop him Aang leaped out of the audience and rose up on airbended wind. He landed on the safety net and used it as a spring to get higher up, reaching the tightrope and grabbing it in one hand. There he used some wind to spin around the tightrope to get above it, and then he twisted in the air to get his feet on the rope and stand on it. Keeping his balance with subtle airbending Aang stood next to Ty Lee, smiling at her.

"Hi there," Aang said.

"Get down!" Ty Lee demanded, keeping her voice to a whisper that only Aang was close enough to hear. "You're ruining my act!"

"Okay," Aang said, and simply fell back. As he left the tightrope he used some airbending to draw one of the swings to him, grabbing onto it and swinging across the open space. Instead of reaching the platform at the other end Aang used wind to blow the swing in a circle around half of the tent.

Annoyed that the crowd was paying more attention to Aang instead of her, Ty Lee jumped off the tightrope. She timed it right as Aang swung by, grabbing onto the swing upside down and holding herself up while Aang hung beneath it. "Knock it off!" Ty Lee insisted.

"Make me," Aang challenged. He let go of the swing and formed one of his air spheres, riding on it around the fabric walls of the tent.

Below the show Zuko watched Ty Lee use the swings to chase Aang around the tent. "Should we do something?" he whispered to his sister.

Azula took a handful of Mai's fire flakes instead. "I'm good just watching them," Azula commented, wondering if Ty Lee would resort to chi blocking Aang just to get him out of her show.

When Aang's air sphere dissipated he was over the tightrope, and decided to grab onto it. He used a strong wind to spin around the rope, making several rotations before his hands started to feel hot. Before a rub burn could form Aang let go, blindly throwing himself across the tent. Dizzy from his spinning Aang didn't see Ty Lee swinging across before crashing into her, making both of them fall towards the audience.

"You Idiot!" Ty Lee yelled, seeing that they were falling outside the span of the safety net.

People in the crowd screamed as they saw Aang and Ty Lee falling to their apparent demise. Aang slowed down the fall by bending a cushion of air below, catching him and Ty Lee before the air dispersed. Safely on the ground Aang stood up and smiled. "Well that was fun," he commented, helping Ty Lee stand up. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

* * *

><p>Late in the afternoon Ty Lee was in her room resting from her botched performance. The circus master had canceled the rest of the shows scheduled for the day, allowing the performers to recover. In her mind Ty Lee made up new ways to improve her act, so that the audience in future shows would forget about the airbender that interfered. For her the use of airbending was cheating in acrobatics, it took away from the skill of trained professionals.<p>

Ty Lee had been lying down on her bed when she heard someone walking by and stopping by her open door. She got up and looked over to see a friend standing there. "Azula!" Immediately Ty Lee cartwheeled over to Azula and hugged her.

"How've you been?" Azula asked, returning the hug.

"Better, now that you're here," Ty Lee answered, letting go of Azula.

Smiling at that comment, Azula was glad to see Ty Lee again. "It's been way too long."

"Did you see the show?" Ty Lee asked. "Cause there's a guy that deserves a 'visit' from you."

Azula laughed at the idea, understanding that Ty Lee implied something nasty. "Believe me I'd love to, but you know who that was."

With a sigh Ty Lee threw out her arms, remembering a briefing every performer had to hear before the circus set up shop here. "Yes, the last airbender, also that thing that we're not allowed to talk about in case he's around, and is listening to your brother for some reason."

"Exactly," Azula said. "I can't do anything to him until he's finished with a project that Zuko came up with."

"Well keep him on that instead of messing with my shows," Ty Lee insisted.

"There is a way you can help," Azula said. She smirked and gave a suggestive look. "I think Aang likes you."

"No way," Ty Lee said, shaking her head. "Please keep me out of your schemes."

"If you insist, but I can't promise that he won't interrupt again," Azula threatened.

"Oh fine," Ty Lee muttered, knowing that it was rarely worth arguing with Azula. "But if anything happens between me and him I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough," Azula said.

Together Azula and Ty Lee left the grounds claimed by the circus, walking to the military base next to it. They headed for the house that Aang was in, passing by the logistics warehouse that had extra guards assigned to it in case Qin showed up again. Azula opened the front door and walked inside with Ty Lee behind her, finding Aang hard at work after his fun day.

"Hey Aang," Azula said. "I'd like to properly introduce you to Ty Lee."

Aang stood up and turned around, seeing Azula and Ty Lee. "Hey there," Aang said, recognizing Ty Lee from the show. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's alright," Ty Lee said. She walked over to Aang's desk, seeing several pages of translated text. "What are you working on?"

Back at the desk Aang picked up a book he had been translating. "This one is a list of airbending techniques and teachings of our cultures."

"Maybe something else is more worth your effort," Azula interrupted.

"Okay," Aang said, setting the book and its incomplete translation aside. He picked up a scroll and unrolled it, then placed his fingers on the first line of braille.

Ty Lee stepped into another room with Azula, closing the door so that Aang couldn't hear them. "Why did you want me here again?" Ty Lee whispered.

"He doesn't know you," Azula answered. "There's a possibility that Aang's memory could come back at any moment. You're the only person I trust to watch him and won't be recognized if he remembers who he really is."

"And what am I supposed to do while I watch him?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula shrugged her shoulders. "Help him maybe? I don't know, just think of something."

"I'll try to figure out how he reads those little bumps," Ty Lee suggested.

"Good idea," Azula said. With that settled Azula walked back into the main room, seeing Aang already writing down a few translated words. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted."

When Azula was outside and closed the door behind her Ty Lee walked up to Aang. She watched him reread the same row of bumps several times. "Is this one complicated?" Ty Lee asked.

"Something's not right with it," Aang answered. Removing his fingers from the bumps Aang held the scroll closer to his eyes. Up close he saw little bits scratched off individual bumps, and then found very shallow lines connecting them. "It's almost like someone wrote on top of this scroll without any ink."

"Could be a hidden message," Ty Lee suggested. "I hear the old Fire Sages use a special ink that only appears when it's warm."

Aang grabbed a lamp from the wall and set it on the desk. He held the scroll over the lamp and let it get warm, but nothing appeared. "Guess this isn't that ink," Aang said. Thinking about the possibility of a hidden message gave Aang another idea. "Do we have any ink powder?"

Taking a moment to look through the desk's drawers Ty Lee found a jar of ink powder. Aang uncorked the jar and held one hand over it. Using his fingers for subtle airbending Aang pulled out some powder in a miniature cyclone and carefully guided it over the scroll. Widening the cyclone of air and lowering it Aang lightly dusted the scroll with the power, letting the ink fill in the scratches. Slowly words appeared on the scroll, written on top of the braille already there.

One look at the revealed message was more than enough to worry Ty Lee. "Who's Gyatso?"

Aang ignored Ty Lee, too busy reading the message to notice her reading it over his shoulder. Gyatso's handwriting was unmistakable, even if Aang had to apply the ink for his old guardian. The message didn't have a specific person addressed to it, which only made it worse in Aang's mind. There was a date in the upper corner, only a few weeks after Aang's memory ended.

_If there is anyone left that can read this scroll, this is Gyatso of the Southern Air Temple. The day we have long dreaded is upon us. Fire Nation troops are in our skies on the dragons, and Hai Lee's Comet burns the heavens and the earth in firebending. I fear that we will not survive this day, and that the other temples share our end. There is no hope for the Air Nomads, but hope still exists for the rest of the world._

_Fire Lord Sozin believes that by striking down our nation, that he will destroy the Avatar before he matures. He is mistaken, for the Avatar is not in any of the temples. Our greatest mistake was informing the Avatar of his identity too early, and the burden of his destiny drove him away from us. And yet that folly has saved his life, for even I do not know where he is and cannot reveal it. But if you can find him, help him restore balance._

_I know that Aang can save the world._

Aang's jaw dropped as he finished reading, and he reread the last line to be absolutely certain. Gyatso would never lie about a matter so important, and it fit with Qin's claim the other night. "How can I possibly be, Avatar Aang?"

On the verge of panicking Ty Lee tried to say something believable. "Aang, if you were the Avatar, wouldn't you know about it?"

"I don't know," Aang muttered, starting to doubt the story Zuko told him about the Avatar. "But someone is not telling the truth, and it isn't Gyasto."

Despite knowing that Zuko's charade was falling apart, Ty Lee didn't want to let Aang confront her friends about it. That would only get Aang killed, which Ty Lee thought was a waste of a life. "Let's think this through," Ty Lee suggested. "Do you really want to take any risks when you're the last airbender?"

That implication silenced Aang, since if anything happened to him the art of airbending would be lost. Future airbenders would have to start all over again from watching sky bison, if any survived in the uncharted wilderness. Priorities shifted in Aang's mind, as he wanted to be certain that airbending could survive intact without him.

Fortunately there was one person Aang suspected might have the potential for airbending. "Hey Ty Lee, were any of your ancestors airbenders?"


	31. The Secret Tunnel

Chapter 30: The Secret Tunnel

Inside the Eastern Air Temple there was a council room meant for the head nuns, which was being used for the first time in a century. A round table was in the middle, large enough for a dozen people to stand around. Pathik had a map of the northeastern Earth Kingdom spread across the table, stretching from the temple at one end to the mountains near Ba Sing Se in the other. Katara and Suki stood on the side of the table facing the mountains on the map, while Haru and Sokka were standing by the side with Ba Sing Se on it. Pathik faced the side with the air temple displayed, and Toph was sitting by a wall since she couldn't see the map.

Katara bended a small chip of ice onto the map near the mountains. "Aang is located here," she said. "We need to get him out of there before the Fire Nation moves him somewhere else."

Suki stuck a knife into the map at the mountains. "Qin said there's a tunnel here that leads right to the center of the military base holding Aang. We'll go in there, get Aang, and get out."

Haru raised one hand for a question. "What if Aang doesn't want to leave? We have no idea what lies he's been told since we lost him."

"You need to restore him first," Pathik advised. Leaning onto the map he thought about the vision he had of past Avatars dying. "The Avatar Spirit was separated from Aang when mindbending control was attempted in he was in the Avatar State. He no longer has the connection to his past lives. Restoring the connection should restore Aang's memory. To do that someone will need to enter the spirit world and find the Avatar Spirit there."

"How do we do that?" Toph asked. "It's not like we can just walk into the spirit world."

"He can," Pathik said, pointing at Sokka.

"You can't be serious," Sokka objected. "As the 'logic and reason' guy I would be the last person that could ever go into the spirit world."

Pathik chuckled at Sokka's honest description of himself. "That would be true, but you have been given a means to enter the spirit world at will."

"He has?" Katara asked, raising one eyebrow.

Sokka tugged on the string around his neck and pulled out the vial of spirit water from beneath his shirt. "You mean this thing?" he asked. "What am I supposed to do? Drink it?"

"You are learning," Pathik commented. "But not yet. Crossing over here would get you lost in the spirit world."

"Then where am I supposed to cross over?" Sokka asked, putting the vial away.

"In a place connected to the Avatar," Pathik answered. "That will place your own spirit near the location of the Avatar Spirit, where you will be able to find your way to him on the other side."

"And what happens when I find him?" Sokka asked.

Pathik shook his head. "That is something you'll have to find out on your own."

"Where do we find the right place?" Haru asked.

"Umm," Katara interrupted. "This may be a wild coincidence, but Qin mentioned a temple to the Avatar beneath the Fire Nation base."

"Oh yeah," Toph said, remembering what Qin had described. "He said something about it being about a Fire Nation Avatar."

"Does anyone else think that's a very convenient coincidence?" Sokka asked.

Pathik shrugged. "The spirits work in mysterious ways."

"I hate that phrase," Sokka said, putting one hand on his forehead.

"Still, this can work," Katara said. "We'll get what we need to restore Aang, then rescue him on the same trip."

* * *

><p>Invigorated with the plan to rescue Aang from the Fire Nation, Katara and the others got on Appa and flew for the mountains by Ba Sing Se. Pathik was left behind at the temple, as he was too old to travel anymore and could not assist in a fight. Flying close to the ground and Appa tried to avoid being spotted by anyone. When they reached the area around Minara Katara guided Appa far around the military base, worrying that if anyone spotted the sky bison then Aang would be immediately relocated.<p>

Arriving at sunset Appa landed at the base of the mountains, and on the horizon everyone could see Minara's central tower on the horizon. There was also a large tent closer to the mountains, illuminated by bright lamps in the distance. One at a time everyone climbed off Appa, then had the sky bison hide in a thick group of trees nearby.

Toph crouched on the ground and used her vibration sight to search for the underground tunnel. "Got it," Toph said. She earthbended a shaft straight down and created spiraling steps to climb down. "I'll have to leave this open, the air down there must be really stale."

Haru walked up to the shaft and raised the ground around it into a small hill. "That should hide the hole unless someone walks up here."

One at a time everyone climbed down the shaft, entering a dark tunnel below. Nearly fifty feet below the surface barely any starlight made it down the shaft. Only Toph could see in the dark, even after everyone else's eyes adjusted. Slowly they walked down the tunnel with Toph leading the way, traveling for what felt like miles. Along the way Toph and Haru had to earthbend away cave-ins that blocked the tunnel, some of which appeared to have happened recently.

"How much farther is it?" Sokka asked, stumbling down the tunnel behind Haru.

"I'm not sure," Toph answered. She abruptly stopped and crouched with one hand on the ground.

Katara and Haru barely stopped themselves from walking into Toph, while Sokka bumped into Suki. "What is it?" Katara asked.

"This secret tunnel's not so secret," Toph said. As if on cue a dim shone from behind a distant corner, getting brighter as the source moved closer. "Hide!"

Quickly Haru and Toph earthbended hiding places into the wall of the tunnel, and once they were all inside the two earthbenders closed the wall but left small eye holes to see through. The light moved down the tunnel and past the people hiding in the wall, which Suki saw as a handheld flame from a firebender. Katara saw three people walking with the firebender, each carrying a pickaxe and a shovel. The miners kept walking down the tunnel, not even looking at the walls on their way to work.

"This complicates things," Sokka muttered.

"They're going to find out we've been here," Haru said.

Toph removed the rock wall hiding everyone and started following the strangers. "We need to take them down now."

"All of them at once," Katara whispered, keeping pace with Toph. "If even one of them gets away we fail."

Everyone followed the strangers a short distance down the tunnel, just until they reached the remains of a blockage that Haru had opened up earlier. The firebender paused as he recognized recent earthbending, until Toph's bending made him sink into the floor. Darkness took back the tunnel as the firebender sank up to his head and his flame went out, leaving the miners blind and confused.

Just before the light went out Katara had started waterbending at one of the miners, hitting him with water and freezing him to a wall. At the same time Sokka had thrown his boomerang and hit another miner's head, knocking him out instantly. The last miner was hit by a stone block thrown by Haru, falling onto his back unconscious. Before any of them could recover Toph started burying the miners until only the eyes and noses were exposed, leaving them alive but completely silenced.

"We need to hurry," Haru advised.

"Yeah, before any more of them show up," Sokka said. He heard the ground move and then felt his boomerang hit his foot, prompting him to pick it up. "Thanks Toph."

"Don't mention it," Toph said.

Picking up the pace everyone hurried down the tunnel, keeping their eyes peeled for any new lights in the way. The tunnel widened as they got closer to the other end, and brighter lights shone in a spot resembling a cavern. Peeking around a corner Suki saw a few dozen miners excavating ore in the cavern, and on the opposite end the tunnel continued. But on a wall in between was the front of an ornate building, the sides and roof hidden in sedimentary rock. Dozens of torches were spaced out in the cavern, giving miners all the light they needed to mine away the rock blocking entry to the temple.

Suki frowned at just how bad the odds of success had gotten. "I think Qin's information may have been just a little bit out of date."

Sokka looked into the cavern, trying to think of a way to defeat all of them without anyone sounding the alarm. "Toph, can you sink them all at the same time?"

"Not alone," Toph answered. She turned to Haru and jerked her thumb to the left side of the cavern. "You and me, we go deeper and you take those guys out from below."

"I can't see through rock like you do," Haru said.

"Let me take care of that," Toph said. She made a smaller tunnel in the floor and walked into it with Haru. Gradually Toph and Haru earthbended a path to get below the center of the cavern, then split off in opposite directions. They stopped beneath the two largest groups of miners, and Haru waited for Toph to signal him.

In darkness Haru had no idea where anyone was above him. "Okay miss sees through walls, where are they?"

Focusing on the vibrations coming from above her, Toph sensed where every person was. She could reach half of them at once with simultaneous earthbending. For the other half Toph used smaller earthbending to make little shafts in the rock, from beneath the feet of those people to Haru. Dim light from the cavern shone through the little shafts, showing Haru where he needed to earthbend.

"On three," Toph said. "One… Two… Three!"

At the same time Toph and Haru started earthbending, making the ground above behave like quicksand in select places. Most of the miners screamed as they sank into the rock, being silenced when they were completely buried. Toph and Haru left the miners inside their smaller tunnel, bound and silenced by the rock. But three people above had moved just before the earthbending, walking onto ground that wasn't affected by Haru's bending.

"Oh crap," Sokka muttered, seeing the few that slipped out of the earthbending by chance. He quickly threw his boomerang and hit one of the miners in the head, dropping him instantly.

While the two remaining miners fled Katara bended some water at them, freezing their feet and tripping them. Suki ran into the cavern and reached the tripped miners before they could break free of Katara ice. With two swings of her fans Suki struck the miners and knocked them out. Nearby Toph and Haru emerged from below ground and buried the unconscious miners with the rest.

"Are there any more?" Katara asked.

"None nearby," Toph answered.

Sokka grabbed a torch from a wall and carried it towards the temple. "Still, we better hurry before those guys are missed."

Everyone hurried over to the temple half buried in rock. The front doors had been blocked by rock formations that the miners had been excavating, which Haru and Toph cleared and opened the doors. Inside the temple was a long room with statues in each of the four corners. No one knew the names of the people the statues represented, only that each was from a different nation. They were a complete cycle of Avatar incarnations, one prior to Yanchen's cycle. At the other end was another pair of doors, with a visage of a Fire Nation Avatar engraved onto the metal.

Haru wiped his fingers on one of the statues, taking off a thick layer of dust. "Just how old is this place?"

"Got to be at least a thousand years," Suki said.

Sokka reached the far doors and opened them. The chamber on the other side had a larger statue of the Fire Nation Avatar inside, unseen for over a thousand years. All color had long vanished over the centuries, making Sokka feel like he was entering a tomb. Ancient torches waiting to be lit were on the walls, and Sokka was surprised to find out that they could still burn when he used his stolen torch to light them.

"I really hope this works," Sokka said, taking the vial of spirit water out of his shirt.

Suki walked into the chamber and took Sokka's torch. "I'll guard your body while you're on the other side."

"Okay," Sokka said. He turned to the others still in the long room. "You three keep watch out there."

"Duh," Toph said.

"Just be quick," Haru said, closing the chamber doors.

When the doors were closed Sokka walked up to the statue inside the chamber, having no idea what that Avatar's name was. Setting aside that curiosity, Sokka uncorked the vial of spirit water. "Well, down the hatch." In one gulp Sokka drank all of the spirit water, noticing no taste at all. "I don't feel any-"

Suki gasped as Sokka collapsed midsentence, and she just barely reached him in time catch him. She carefully set Sokka down on his back, seeing that his eyes were unfocused. "So it does work," Suki said to herself.

* * *

><p>After waiting half an hour Toph walked back into the cavern, checking to see if the imprisoned miners were still alive below the floor. Katara and Haru followed outside, figuring that if anyone new came down they would be in a better position to fight. They had no way of knowing if anyone in the base above would notice if the miners didn't return, but it was only a matter of time before someone checked in on them.<p>

"Anything?" Katara asked.

"Trust me, if I see anything you'll be the first to know," Toph said.

"_Mining crew, report!"_

Horror spread on Katara's face as she recognized the female voice, coming from a metal pipe bolted to the cavern wall. Though the voice was distorted by distance, Katara still knew it as Princess Azula. "Oh not good," Katara muttered.

"_Mining crew, your report on the escape tunnel is overdue!"_

Despite fearing that they would be discovered, Katara still noticed that Azula sounded annoyed and frustrated. She guessed that Azula didn't want to be the person speaking through the metal pipe. "Haru, say something!"

"Why me?" Haru asked.

"Azula's heard my voice before and Toph's is too young to pass as a miner," Katara explained.

"_Don't make me come down there and burn somebody!"_

"Everything's fine," Haru said into the pipe. "We had a cave in down here, took us a while to clear it. But we're okay now. How are you?"

Katara slapped her forehead at Haru's stupid question, while his mouth hung as he realized his blunder. But to their surprise there was hesitation from the other end, and when Azula spoke again she seemed a bit confused.

"_Alright, I guess."_ There was a pause for a few seconds. _"I know it's thankless down there. Keep up the good work."_

"Will do," Haru said. When there was no reply he backed away from the pipe and let out a sigh. "That was close."

"Yeah," Katara agreed. She looked back into the temple, where she hoped that Sokka would come out soon. "Come back soon Sokka."

* * *

><p>Sokka found himself in a very strange place, needing a moment to take it all in. The statue of the Fire Nation Avatar was still there, but surrounded by a forest filled with thick vegetation. Above him both the sun and the moon were in a violet sky, which Sokka tried to rationalize as an illusion. Thick and humid air made Sokka dizzy while he adjusted to the new environment.<p>

"Okay, now what?" Sokka muttered. He heard a voice in the distance, but couldn't tell what it was saying. Sokka followed the voice anyway, just to have a particular direction to go. Running through the trees and bushes Sokka found a clearing with a river flowing through it. Crouching at the bank was a woman in red clothing, chanting to the water. "Hello?"

The strange woman stood up and put on a wide hat, then turned around to face Sokka. She stared at him with inhuman eyes, while Sokka stared at the strange markings on the woman's skin. "This isn't a safe place for someone like you."

"Are you a spirit?" Sokka asked.

"I am the Painted Lady," she answered. She gestured to the river flowing by. "And this is my domain."

"Look, I need to find the Avatar Spirit," Sokka said. "Can you help me?"

"No," the Painted Lady answered. She pointed to the sky behind Sokka. "But she might."

Sokka turned around and saw the moon glowing brighter, as if it were getting closer. The glow seemed to fill the sky, before coalescing into a distinct shape. It took the form of a giant koi fish that stood upright, made entirely out of moonlight. The giant koi fish looked down upon Sokka, like a master would look down on a pet. Then it began to glow even brighter, filling Sokka's sight and forcing him to shield his eyes.

When the glow began to fade Sokka looked at it again, seeing that the giant koi fish was gone. In its place was a much smaller light, about the size of a person. The light shrank and conformed to the shape of a teenage girl, before it began to fade entirely into dark skin, long white hair, and blue clothes. When the light was completely gone the girl was startled, looking around until her gaze found someone she recognized. "Sokka?"

Not sure if he could believe his eyes anymore, Sokka recognized the girl. "Yue?"


	32. The Spirit World

Chapter 31: The Spirit World

"Yue?" Sokka asked. "How can you be in the spirit world?"

"This is the spirit world?" Yue asked, unfamiliar with the forested surroundings or the spirit by the river. "How did I get here?"

"Well I got here with the spirit water Pakku gave me," Sokka said, holding up the vial. Then he noticed that it had refilled itself and was slightly glowing blue. "Did you drink some of this too?"

"No," Yue answered. She remembered a story her dad had told her about when she was born. "But when I was just a baby my parents bathed me in the spirit oasis, as I had been born barely alive. They asked the spirits to give me life, and my hair had turned white in the moon's light."

Beside the river the Painted Lady looked at Yue. "Tui gave you a portion of her life force, connecting you to her and this realm."

"I appreciate the gift, but I need to get back to my body," Yue said. "I'm not supposed to be here."

"Blame him," the Painted Lady said, pointing at Sokka.

"And how is this my fault?" Sokka asked.

The Painted Lady laughed at Sokka's ignorance in spiritual matters. "Tui sensed your affection to her, and brought her here to assist you. She cannot leave until your business here is complete."

"Okay, I'm calling bull-moose crap on that," Sokka said.

"Suit yourself," the Painted Lady said. She turned around and walked into the river, disappearing in the water.

Sokka grunted in frustration, then focused his attention on Yue. "Well if you're here, I could use the help."

"Help with what?" Yue asked.

"Finding the Avatar Spirit," Sokka answered.

Yue shrugged and held her hands apart. "I got nothing."

Getting frustrated with his lack of direction Sokka turned around to look for anything that might be of use. Then he noticed the vial in his hand glow brighter for a moment, but faded as he kept turning. Waving the vial back and forth Sokka observed that it glowed brighter only when he pointed it downstream from the river. "So this thing is a compass now?" Sokka questioned.

"Think we should follow it?" Yue asked, walking up beside Sokka.

"Like I have a choice?" Sokka questioned, thinking that the answer was no.

* * *

><p>Inside his house in Minara, Aang demonstrated a simple airbending move to Ty Lee. "This one is easy," Aang said, cupping his hands behind his back. In one swift motion Aang thrust his hands in front of him, airbending a gust of wind at the wall. The moving air dispersed after impact and swirled inside the room, scattering loose scrolls and parchment everywhere. "Now you try it."<p>

Ty Lee mimicked the technique Aang had just used, though she didn't believe it would work for her. She cupped her hands behind her back, and when thrust them forward no air moved. "I'm not a bender, much less an airbender."

"But you're just like the girls from the east and west temples," Aang reasoned. "Just keep trying, I'm sure you can do it."

Again Ty Lee tried to mimic the airbending technique Aang showed her, again making no air move. She repeated the motion again and again, getting nothing every time. "This isn't going to work," Ty Lee said.

"Just keep trying," Aang insisted.

Suddenly the door was thrown open from the outside, and Prince Zuko walked inside. "Out," he ordered. Zuko watched Ty Lee leave immediately, and closed the door behind her.

Aang could tell that Zuko was not in a good mood. "What is it Zuko?"

Zuko walked over to Aang's desk, seeing that the scrolls and books were in disarray. "Have you made progress with your project?"

Hesitating before answering, Aang didn't want to tell Zuko that he had neglected his work on translating the Air Nomad texts. "It seems that I am worse at braille than I thought."

"Might that have something to do with this?" Zuko said, grabbing a scroll that had legible words written over the braille.

Surprised that Zuko knew about the hidden message, Aang decided that it was time to confront his suspicions. "Why does that imply that it was the Fire Nation that struck first? And why did Qin call me the Avatar? I must know. Who am I?"

"You are my scribe," Zuko answered. "Now get back to work translating those texts."

Looking away for a moment, Aang thought about what the Fire Nation might do with the knowledge contained in the books and scrolls. "No," Aang said. He grabbed the pieces of parchment that had translated text already written on them. "I would rather destroy these than make them available for your questionable use."

Zuko watched Aang throw the parchments into a fireplace, seeing them burn in the flames. But Zuko didn't bat an eye at the defiance. Instead he reached into his pocket and retrieved a new scroll, unrolling it to show Aang a copy of the translated texts. "Did you really think that we wouldn't be tracking and copying every bit of your valuable work?"

Before Aang could answer him the front door opened again, followed by Azula walking inside. "There you are," Azula said.

"This had better be important," Zuko said.

"Yeah, the escape tunnel has been compromised," Azula informed. Her eyes glanced at Aang before settling back on Zuko. "And I have a hunch as to who's in there."

His sister's tone was enough to convey her meaning, telling Zuko that he needed to wrap up his conversation with Aang before pursuing the more immediate matter. "Aang, if you do not make significant progress soon, there will be severe consequences."

After that threat Zuko walked outside the house and was followed by Azula, who closed the front door behind her. "Is this really worth continuing?" Azula asked. "I heard enough from outside. He's not falling for the ruse anymore."

"Maybe so, but we still might get more out of him," Zuko reasoned. Then he changed the subject to the more pressing issue. "Now, who's in the escape tunnel?"

"I suspect it's his former friends," Azula answered, jerking a thumb at the door. "I don't know the voice that tried to report in, but it certainly wasn't one of the miners. And I can't think of anyone besides Sokka and his friends that have the guts to come here."

Zuko took a look around the immediate area, which appeared like nothing was out of the ordinary. "Then why hasn't the alarm been sounded? If they're using the escape tunnel they should have been spotted in the tower by now."

"We're just going to have to go down there and find out what's keeping them," Azula said.

"No," Zuko said. He took a sealed envelope out of his pocket and passed it to Azula. "I need you to brief Mai on this. Have her get started on it right away."

"Alright," Azula said, pocketing the envelope. "What about the intruders?"

"I'll deal with them myself."

* * *

><p>Using the glowing vial as his guide, Sokka followed it deeper into the spirit world. Yue followed Sokka's fast pace, wanting to help in any way she could. Despite running through the forests and swamps in the strange world, neither felt any fatigue from their journey. Sokka reasoned that since their bodies were still in the physical world, physical concerns didn't apply here.<p>

When the forests ended the ground became a flooded swamp, with small stone islands directly ahead continued a path to a large gnarly tree. Sokka and Yue had to leap from one small island to the next in order to reach the strange tree on its own larger island. There was a path leading into the roots of the tree, which they followed once they reached it.

Just outside the tree Sokka stopped, hearing an animal nearby. "Now what kind of animal is that?" he asked, seeing a strange baboon with a curled tail. It was facing away from Sokka, until it heard his voice.

Yue saw the baboon turn around, and she screamed when she saw that it didn't have a face. "What happened to it?"

Despite the apparent danger of face removal, Sokka didn't run away. He held the vial towards a tunnel leading below the tree, seeing it glow even brighter. "We must be getting close," Sokka guessed, and started walking into the tunnel.

Just before Sokka crossed the threshold into the tunnel the faceless baboon let out a loud screech, in spite of have no mouth to screech with. It leaped at Sokka, sharp claws extended and ready to shred Sokka's throat. But before the baboon could reach its target Yue tackled it, tumbling on the ground while keeping the animal at bay.

"Go!" Yue yelled.

"Seriously?" Sokka questioned.

Yue gripped onto the baboon's wrists, keeping the claws just out of reach from her face. "Just do it!"

Seeing that Yue had the animal under control, Sokka ran into the tunnel. Inside the ground turned into steps leading down, while dark tree roots pierced the roof and sides. Small holes in the dirt above let in light, but it was barely enough to see by. Sokka ran through the dark tunnel using the glowing vial to see the path, skipping over entire steps at his hurried pace.

Deep below the tree Sokka reached the far end of the tunnel, below even the longest roots of the tree above him. Exiting the tunnel Sokka found an enormous cavern, big enough to contain the entire upper ring of Ba Sing Se. On the wide floor were glowing markings that lit up the cavern, shaped like the arrow tattoos of an Air Nomad. The glowing arrows connected in the center of the cavern, and the vial glowed brightest when Sokka held it towards that spot.

Sokka hurried to the center of the cavern, stopping when the vial glowed bright enough to be nearly blinding. In front of him Sokka found a thin pedestal at chest height, which had a small depression in the top that was the same size as the vial. When Sokka placed the vial in the depression the vial's cork popped off and a fountain of light burst out, along with a shockwave that pushed Sokka over fifty feet away while the light coalesced in the space above.

Air rushed through the cavern and formed a gigantic sphere around the light. Water spewed out of geysers and formed a ring around the swirling air. Earth broke off the ceiling and orbited in a second ring around the water. Fire burst from the walls and created a third ring around the earth. Elements in motion spun around the light, in harmony with each other.

A portion of the earth broke away from the spinning ring, moving in front of Sokka and reshaping itself into a giant human skeleton five hundred feet tall. Some fire followed and joined the earth, forming muscles and tendons of living flame. A bit of water flowed from its ring into arteries and veins, while air condensed into skin on the elemental human. Eyes glowed bright blue on the being made from the four elements, which gazed down onto Sokka.

Feeling insignificant in the presence of the spiritual form of the Avatar Spirit, Sokka bowed to the giant standing in front of him. "Please!" Sokka begged. "Bring Aang back!"

Suddenly the elements comprising the spirit morphed into flesh and blood, taking on the form of a human being. It became a young man with black hair and amber eyes, revealing that the first Avatar was from the Fire Nation. Then its form morphed again, changing into an Air Nomad nun. Another morph changed it into an elderly Water Tribe Cheif, and then it morphed again into a young Earth Kingdom princess. Morphing into a Fire Nation prince, the cycle of the Avatar repeated again, and again, and again.

* * *

><p>Stalling for time at his desk, Aang tried to fake having difficulty reading the braille texts in front of him. But three guards behind him were not convinced by the ruse, each ready to strike with a spear. While the guards were firebenders they didn't want to risk damaging the texts with stray flames. When Aang stopped working altogether one of the guards inched closer to him.<p>

"No one told you stop nomad," the guard said.

Hoping to appeal to compassion Aang turned around to face the guards. "I believe that Zuko will use the contents of these tomes for destruction. Please, we can stop that."

The guard turned his spear around and struck Aang with the blunt end, knocking him onto the floor. Next he kicked Aang in the stomach, smiling as Aang couched in pain. He looked over to the other guards who were closing in for their turn. "You have to admit, it's an honor to stomp the _former_ greatest threat to the Fire Nation."

Covering his face with his arms, Aang tried to block more strikes from the guards. "No, please stop," Aang begged. But the guards didn't stop, enjoying themselves too much to care. "Stop!" Aang yelled. Without any thought Aang punched with both fists towards the guard, an unfamiliar motion that his body seemed to know but his mind did not.

Fire spewed from Aang's fists, hitting the closest guard in the chest and burning into it. In that moment Aang didn't notice the fallen guard, too busy staring at smoke rising from his hands. It seemed so unreal to him, that muscle memory alone could access another element. "I can firebend?"

The other two guards dropped their spears and took firebending stances, thinking about killing Aang themselves before he could figure out how to fight with fire. But they didn't expect Aang to close his eyes and punch the air at random, throwing fire in every angle. When Aang opened his eyes he saw all of the guards on the floor, burned alive by his bending.

"I'm the Avatar," Aang muttered, accepting that everything Zuko had said was a lie. It was the only explanation for the firebending, and Aang guessed that he must have trained in that bending art during the time he could not remember.

Then Aang's focus returned to the present, noticing that the far wall of his house had been ignited by his firebending. Quickly Aang stood up, expecting more guards to enter after the house had been set on fire. Instead Aang heard a disturbance outside, followed by several loud thuds on the other side of the door. Aang avoided the fires inside and opened the front door to leave, finding Ty Lee standing outside among several paralyzed guards.

"You're okay," Ty Lee said.

"No," Aang corrected. He stepped aside to show the bodies of the guards inside. "I'm not okay."

"Oh," Ty Lee muttered, remembering that Air Nomads were supposed to have been pacifists. "You have to leave before more soldiers arrive."

For a moment Aang considered fleeing, to take flight on the wind and get out of Minara while he had the opportunity. But he knew nothing about the world beyond, uncertain if any portions of Zuko's fabrications had any seed of truth in them. Aang knew that he would be hunted, and likely caught with no idea of where to go. Or he could face the Fire Nation now, and possibly stop it here.

"Where's Zuko?" Aang demanded.

* * *

><p>Sokka watched the Avatar Cycle repeat more times than he could keep track of, though each was different than all the ones before. Eventually it started to get boring, while Sokka hoped that it was getting close to the end. Each time the cycle returned to Air Nomad he wished that it would be Avatar Yangchen, the earliest Air Nomad Avatar he knew about.<p>

"This is taking a while," Sokka muttered.

"Of course it is. This is the collective wisdom of the Avatars."

Not recognizing the new deep voice, Sokka gasped and looked around for the source. "Who's there?" Sokka demanded.

From above Sokka a large creature dropped down, landing behind him. It resembled a giant centipede, with the head replaced by a simple Noh mask. "I am Koh," the spirit introduced himself. "But your people know me as The Face Stealer."

Immediately Sokka's thoughts turned to the faceless baboon outside, and as if on cue Koh's face changed to become that of a baboon. "Uh oh," Sokka muttered, fearing that Koh was going to take his face as well.

Instead of attacking the trespasser, Koh changed his face to an old man's and laughed. "Oh mortals are so easy to frighten," Koh admitted. He turned and watched the Avatar Cycle repeat again, recognizing a few faces from five thousand years ago. "But most mortals at least try to show no emotion in my presence."

"How was I supposed to know about you?" Sokka asked, not bothering to hide emotions when Koh had already seen fear on his face.

"You did enter my domain," Koh answered, changing his face back to the Noh mask. He turned back to Sokka and coiled his body around the teenager, but didn't make any physical contact. "But then again, you came for the Avatar, not for me."

Barely keeping any kind of composure Sokka stood his ground. "Is that a problem?"

Changing his face to a bearded Air Nomad, Koh held it only inches from Sokka's face. "Not if a bargain can be made."

"Excuse me?" Sokka blurted out.

"On principal I can't let anyone just take what they want from my domain, even if I sympathize with their goals," Koh explained. He stretched out his body and held his face high enough to be at eye level with the morphing Avatar Spirit. "Should you succeed in restoring my old friend, you owe me a face."

Sokka gulped, expecting Koh to take his face.

"I didn't say _your_ face," Koh corrected. Turning again Koh let Sokka see his face, changing it into a Water Tribe woman with long brown hair. "I have more than enough Water Tribe in my collection already."

"And if I refuse?" Sokka asked.

Koh hummed for a moment, which sent chills down Sokka's spine. "I have yet to take a blind face."

"Alright!" Sokka yelled, refusing to let Toph pay for his decisions. "I'll give you a face. Just don't take one from anybody I care about."

"You'll know when it's time for me to collect," Koh said, changing his face back to the Noh mask. Swiftly Koh charged at Sokka, while his entire body became transparent and passed through Sokka before disappearing.

Dropping onto his knees, Sokka shivered for minutes. "Man that's cold!" he complained, while not wanting to know what Koh just did to him.

When the shivering stopped Sokka looked up at the morphing Avatar Spirit, seeing the cycles pass by quicker than before. He saw and recognized a Fire Nation Avatar, the one from the temple his body was still inside. One more cycle was left and quickly passed by, and he recognized most of them. Sokka saw the spirit morph into Avatar Yangchen, Avatar Kuruk, Avatar Kyoshi, Avatar Roku...

Avatar _Aang_

Flesh and blood of the spirit turned into bright light, coalescing and flowing down into the open vial still in the pedestal. The glowing sphere with the elemental rings dispersed in the light, returning the four elements back to where they came from. Flowing light funneled into the vial, and when all of the light was inside the tiny container its cork had replaced itself. Sokka ran up to the vial and removed it from the pedestal, finding it shining a bright white.

With his prize in hand Sokka ran as fast as he could out of the cavern, heading through the tunnel back to the large tree. Once he was outside Sokka heard a screech from the faceless baboon, worrying about Yue getting hurt by the animal. Instead Yue had the baboon pressed against a tree root while holding its arms behind its back, keeping the animal pinned down.

"I have what we need," Sokka said, holding up the shining vial for Yue to see.

Yue released her grip on the baboon's arms and shoved it away, and it scampered off behind the tree. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Katara, Toph, and Haru were waiting inside the Avatar temple in case a patrol came through the tunnel, counting on confusion in the empty cavern to delay any alarms. But when Toph finally sensed someone coming it was worse than any patrol. "Crud, Sparky's here!"<p>

The front doors of the temple were blown open by firebending, and when smoke cleared Katara and Haru saw Zuko entering. Clad in royal armor and armed with his dao swords, Zuko walked into the temple. "So this _is_ an Avatar temple," Zuko said, seeing the statues inside. "You've gone to impressive lengths to restore your savior. Be assured, I will not underestimate you again!"

Haru stood beside Katara and assumed an earthbending stance. "Well don't we feel special," Haru said.

Ignoring the comment Zuko looked past his enemies to the chamber doors behind them. "Now I assume that the one called Sokka will be stepping through those doors, with the key to restoring Aang's memory in hand."

Katara bended some of her water into a whip, while seeing Toph and Haru bending stone out of the floor. "We hold this temple at all costs!" Katara ordered.

Zuko drew his swords and swung them, which caused the blades to burst into flame. "Let's go."

Toph and Haru both threw earthbended stones at Zuko, but he swung his burning swords into the stones and smashed them into bits. Then Zuko started slashing with his swords to bend arcs of fire at his enemies, going for the taller earthbender first. Haru bent a barrier of stone from the floor, but the arc of fire was intense enough to explode on contact and blast Haru back towards the chamber doors. Katara threw her water at Zuko, which evaporated into steam within the flames from Zuko's swords.

Trying to flank her opponent, Toph bent more stone at Zuko from his side, which Zuko blocked with more swings of his swords. Zuko brought down his swords onto the floor, bending a wave of fire from the swords and aimed at Toph. She blocked the fire with a shield of rock, which held her attention long enough for Zuko to charge at her and break down the shield with his swords. Up close Zuko slashed his flaming swords at Toph's head, forcing her to duck. Zuko jammed a knee into Toph's gut, and then kicked her away into a wall.

Katara condensed her evaporated water back into liquid and wrapped it around gravel on the floor, suspending the small pieces of rock in liquid. She threw the water with rocks in it at Zuko, and he boiled away the water with his fire. Hot rocks got through the defense, leaving small dents in Zuko's armor. Zuko slammed both swords together to bend a large stream of fire at Katara, and she had to leap out of the way to avoid getting burned alive.

While Katara dodged the attack Zuko charged to get a closer shot, but Haru tackled him and sent both of them rolling across the temple floor. Zuko's back hit the temple wall and Haru tried to pin him down. Instead Zuko bashed his head against Haru's, breaking his concentration. When Haru lost his grip Zuko grabbed Haru and threw him across the temple, slamming into Katara and making both of them tumble into Toph and the far wall.

Zuko expected at least one of his enemies to get back up and fight some more, but was gladly surprised to find all three of them out cold. He sheathed his swords and walked to the chamber doors at the end of the room, wanting to force his way inside. Stopping at the doors Zuko tried to open them, but they were sealed shut.

* * *

><p>Running through the forests and swamps of the spirit world again, Sokka hoped that he was heading back the way he came from earlier. Keeping a firm grip on the vial Sokka didn't want to chance losing it now. Along the way Yue spotted the river that the Painted Lady had disappeared into, which told Sokka that he was close to the exit from the spirit world.<p>

"Almost there," Sokka said.

"What about me?" Yue asked.

"Well that other spirit said you're here because I am," Sokka said. "If she was right, which I'm not sure of, you should leave when I do."

"I really don't want to be stuck here," Yue said.

Forcing his way through some bushes Sokka found the statue of the Fire Nation Avatar. "There!" Sokka said, heading for the statue.

Yue grabbed Sokka's shoulder and stopped him. "Wait a moment," Yue said. She turned Sokka's head around and kissed him. "There, now go!"

Sokka turned to leave through the statue, finding it glowing a dull red. "Tell Gran Gran that Katara's alright."

"I will!" Yue promised.

On contact with the statue the red light spread over Sokka, filling his entire perception of reality. Abruptly Sokka found himself lying on his back and his joints feeling stiff, while inside an old chamber. Back in the physical world Sokka got up and saw Suki holding the chamber doors shut. Suki heard Sokka groan as he stood up.

"Welcome back," Suki said.

"Good to be back," Sokka said. He checked the vial he carried with him, glad to see that the white shine had carried over to the physical world with his own spirit. "What'd I miss?"

"Trouble," Suki answered.

"Of course there is," Sokka muttered, thinking of several ways things could have gone wrong. He held out the shining vial for Suki to see. "This had better work."

* * *

><p>Just on the other side of the doors Zuko waited for his enemy to emerge from it. "Come Sokka," Zuko said, though he didn't expect anyone to hear him. "Once I deal with you, the Avatar will never be whole again."<p>

"I cannot allow that to happen!"

Zuko turned around and saw Aang entering the temple, glaring at the prince. "And why should you care Air Nomad?" Zuko taunted. "You are no Avatar."

"I used to believe that," Aang admitted, taking slow steps towards Zuko. "But regardless of who I am, there is one thing I do know. My sympathies lie with the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, not the Fire Nation, and not you."

Aang leaped upward on airbended wind, and he thrust both fists forward to blast fire down at Zuko. With ease Zuko deflected the sloppy attack, and when Aang came back down Zuko clenched a fist and punched Aang's gut. Falling onto his knees in pain Aang needed a minute to get his wind back in him. Zuko didn't give him that minute, slamming a fist into Aang's back.

Watching Aang in pain, Zuko lit a flame in his hand. "Your spirit may be in the right place, but you have much to learn if you ever want to defeat me." Zuko raised his hand with the flame in it, ready to kill Aang. "Which is a moment that will never come."

Suddenly the chamber doors swung open and Sokka leaped through, tackling Zuko and making both of them tumble away from Aang. Sokka struggled to prevent Zuko from firebending or drawing his swords, trying to keep the prince locked in a grapple. Aang wondered who was fighting Zuko, but he heard more footsteps coming from the chamber. He turned and saw Suki walk up to him, holding a shining vial in her hand.

Suki crouched by Aang and held the vial by the neck string in front of Aang's face. "Take it," Suki ordered.

Staring into the vial's white shine, Aang felt like it was a missing piece of himself. As if the contents would make him whole. "How do you know it's me?"

"We've known for quite some time," Suki said.

Aang grabbed the vial at the bottom, and it shined brighter instantly. The shining light split into two beams that shot out of the vial and into Aang's eyes, filling them with the glow of the Avatar State. All expression left Aang's face as the light continued to flow into Aang's eyes, and he was completely still while retaking the collective wisdom of the Avatars.

Nearby and unaware of Suki's presence Zuko broke out of Sokka's grip and forced Sokka against a wall, holding a flame at Sokka's throat. "Hand it over," Zuko demanded, believing that Sokka still carried the means to restore Aang.

Looking over Zuko's shoulder, Sokka saw the restoration in progress. In spite of the danger he was in, Sokka smirked.

Sudden worry plagued Zuko when he saw Sokka's smirk, and he turned his neck to see Suki with Aang. Immediately Zuko shoved Sokka away from him, then started charging a bolt of lightning to kill Aang as quickly as possible. In the middle of his bending Zuko saw the vial turn dark and the beams of light stop, and Aang collapsed in Suki's arms. Right before Zuko could fire his lightning Aang's arrow tattoo glowed for a moment, and Aang's eyes opened glowing for a few seconds.

Lightning arced through the air, aimed straight at Aang. At the last second the earth moved, forming a barrier that stopped the lightning from hitting its target. The lightning exploded on contact and demolished the earth barrier, and when the dust settled Zuko saw Aang standing there. The Avatar's fist was raised in an earthbending stance, as the barrier had been his earthbending.

"Enough!" Aang yelled. Aang pulled earth out of the floor and threw it at Zuko, then followed it with a quick fireblast. While Zuko dodged the earth and deflected the fire Aang attacked with a gust of wind and some thrown water, both hitting and pushing Zuko back. Bending every element Aang forced Zuko to fall back with each strike, and a strong gust of wind pushed Zuko out of the temple into the cavern beyond.

Nearby Katara recovered next to Haru and Toph, uncertain if what she was seeing was real. "Aang?" Katara muttered.

Hearing his name Aang turned towards the Water Tribe girl. "Katara, how did we get here?"

Standing up and helping Haru get to his feet, Katara smiled at the sound of Aang's voice. "We'll explain later," Katara promised.

Toph got up and started earthbending a new tunnel out of the temple. "Let's get out of here," Toph suggested. She ran into the tunnel with Sokka and Suki behind her, guiding the new path away from any Fire Nation structures above them.

Haru paused to earthbend a few stones at Zuko for cover, glad to have Aang back. "This time, he's coming with us."

With Katara beside him Aang walked backwards into Toph's tunnel, throwing cover fire at Zuko trying to get back inside the temple. "Everyone out!" Aang shouted, backing into the tunnel with his friends. Once everyone was inside Aang earthbended the tunnel entrance shut, leaving Zuko behind to curse his enemies.

Avoiding the main tunnel below and the Fire Nation base above, Toph shaped her earthbended tunnel towards the nearby mountains. They emerged in the forest far from the camp, near the spot that Toph had found the main tunnel earlier in the night. Nearby Aang heard Appa emerging from the trees he had been hiding in, pouncing on Aang and licking his face.

"Hey buddy," Aang said. He climbed onto Appa's head while everyone else climbed into the saddle. "Appa, Yip Yip!"

Once Appa was in the air and far away from the Fire Nation base Katara wrapped her arms around Aang in the biggest hug she could make. "You're really back," Katara said, tears of joy running down her face.

"I was gone?" Aang asked.

"For nearly a month," Katara answered.

Without warning Sokka shouted the most obscene curse word he knew. Every head turned to Sokka, who was frantically counting time on his fingers. "Aang, take Appa west, _now!_"

"Why?" Suki asked.

Recounting the time on his fingers Sokka realized that they had none to spare. "We have to reach the Fire Nation before the solar eclipse!"

_A/N: Funny coincidence here. This story finally wraps up an Amnesiac Avatar Arc, and the Legend of Korra just started one. Strange how that timing worked out._


	33. The Blockade

_A/N: After all the action and plot thread resolving of the last chapter, I think this story could use a breather chapter right about now._

Chapter 32: The Blockade

Riding the prevailing winds above the northern Earth Kingdom Appa raced towards the Fire Nation, ignoring everything on the ground below them. During the trip Aang was brought up to speed on everything he had missed while behind enemy lines, having no memory of anything after the revolt in Ba Sing Se. Along the way Suki removed the Fire Nation insignias stitched into Aang's shirt, restoring the shoulders to the proper orange color.

At first Katara had wanted to get Aang to the Eastern Air Temple to meet Guru Pathik, but Sokka's information about a coming solar eclipse overruled that option. With so little time before the eclipse Sokka wasn't certain if they could even reach the capital in time to exploit the opportunity, but he definitely knew they wouldn't be able to use the eclipse if they made a detour to the air temple. And Sokka had no way of knowing when another eclipse was going to come, so this was their only chance to take out the Fire Lord at his weakest.

"So let me get this straight," Haru said, his hair whipping around in the high winds. "You want us to just barge into the Fire Nation, use an eclipse to disable firebending, knock down the Fire Lord's door, and have Aang kill him right then and there?"

"Pretty much," Sokka answered. Looking over the side of Appa's saddle Sokka saw the coastline appear on the western horizon. "This is our only opportunity to assassinate the Fire Lord."

"Do I really have to kill him?" Aang asked, not wanting to violate his beliefs even if the world required it.

"One of us has to," Sokka answered. "It's our only option right now. Without the time to make an army killing the Fire Lord is the only way this can work."

"Will it really end the war?" Katara asked.

"It will at least slow them down for a while," Sokka said.

"Yeah," Toph said, starting to feel dizzy in the air. "Hopefully some sibling rivalry will keep Sparky from taking the throne for a while."

"Sozin's Comet is only a few weeks after the eclipse," Aang commented, hoping that politics could prevent the Fire Nation from using the comet effectively.

"Sozin's what?" Sokka asked, having no idea what Aang was referring to.

"Oh yeah, you weren't there," Katara said, thinking about when Aang learned about the comet from a past life in the Foggy Swamp.

"Basically, it makes firebending unbeatable," Suki explained.

"All the more reason to use the eclipse while we still can," Sokka argued.

"We need to get to the Fire Nation first," Aang said.

Appa reached the west coast of the Earth Kingdom early in the morning and flew over the sea. Counting on being too high up for any Fire Nation ships to spot, Sokka believed they could slip into enemy territory unnoticed. As Earth Kingdom shores disappeared behind the eastern horizon, Aang spotted something in the west. Flying further west Katara and Suki could see ships in the water, sailing in formation resembling several straight lines across their path.

"Why would ships sail like that?" Haru asked.

"It's a blockade," Sokka guessed. "It must be there to guard Fire Nation shores."

"Can we get past it?" Toph asked, feeling vulnerable at the moment.

"Maybe," Aang said.

"We have to," Sokka said.

Unfortunately there weren't any clouds to hide behind in a sunny day, and the sun was too low in the sky to hide in the glare. All it took was one casual glance upward from a sailor to see a white bison moving against a blue sky. Alarm bells sounded on the ship, which spread up and down the entire length of the blockade. Firebenders on every ship within range set tar soaked boulders aflame, launching fiery projectiles from catapults into the air at Appa.

Appa swerved in the air to avoid getting hit, but soon the sky was filled with boulders on fire. Haru started breaking apart the projectiles with earthbending, while Aang put out the flames that got close to Appa. Several boulders approached at once, their flames combining into a moving wall of fire. Appa dived straight down to get out of the way, giving almost no warning to the passengers that started to rise out of the saddle in the sheer drop.

Losing her grip in Appa's descent, Toph was blown out of the saddle in the wind. Screaming as her world shrank to just herself Toph tumbled in the air as she fell away from Appa. "Someone catch me!" Toph screamed, completely helpless in free fall.

Aang handed Appa's reins over to Katara and jumped off the bison with his glider in hand. Bending away the wind in front of him Aang flew faster than Toph fell, getting beyond terminal velocity and quickly catching up with Toph. Aang caught Toph with his legs while holding onto the glider with his hands, trying to get as good a grip as he could on both. While dodging attacks Aang flew back to Appa, dropping Toph into the saddle while the bison struggled to advance through the barrage of fire.

"Turn around," Aang ordered, and immediately Appa flew back towards the Earth Kingdom.

As Appa flew away from the ships the attacks ceased, as none of the ships dared to change course and weaken the blockade. Before long the shores of the western Earth Kingdom reappeared on the horizon, and Appa gradually flew down to land. Immediately after landing Appa fell asleep, exhausted from the effort trying to stay alive in the fiery barrage. Almost as quickly Toph stumbled out of the saddle onto the ground, throwing up once she could stand.

"Appa needs seatbelts," Toph said, still trembling from her experience of free fall.

Following Toph off the bison Haru looked towards the western horizon. "How are we supposed to get past them now that they know we're trying to pass?"

"We could bend some water into clouds and hide in them," Katara suggested.

Sokka shook his head. "They'll notice a single cloud that isn't moving right."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Suki asked.

Looking up and down the coastline Sokka spotted a village on the southern horizon. Thinking that it could be a port Sokka pointed it out for the others. "Let's check out that town. If nothing's there we can just wait until night."

* * *

><p>Leaving Appa behind to rest, everyone else headed for the nearby village. Toph formed one of her moving earth mounds to carry Sokka, while Haru and Aang imitated her technique to carry Katara and Suki. At first they traveled slowly along the coast until Aang and Haru got used to the form of travel. Just outside the village they stopped earthbending and strolled into civilization at noon.<p>

Finding the village somewhat familiar, Sokka started leading the way to the marketplace. "Let's get some supplies while we're here."

A nearby notice board caught Katara's eye, spotting a wanted poster on display. She walked up to it and saw sketches of two people, familiar yet slightly off. One looked like her brother with a beard, and the other was only the top half of Toph's head. "What the…?" Katara muttered, perplexed by the obvious mistakes in the poster.

"What'd you say?" Sokka asked, turning towards Katara. Then he saw the wanted poster Katara was staring at. "Aw crap, we've been here before."

"We have?" Haru asked.

"Not all of us," Sokka corrected himself, walking up to the poster. He discretely tore it off the board and stuffed it inside his shirt. "Let's just keep a low profile."

Taking care to avoid attention Sokka and Toph led the way to the marketplace, hoping that no one would recognize 'The Runaways' back in town. Haru and Suki purchased the supplies needed to top off what was left with Appa, as well as a handful of leather belts to attach to Appa's saddle later. While shopping they came across a lovely merchant couple selling cabbages and radishes together, who were working their hardest to earn the money for a wedding. Once they had everything they needed to buy they wandered to the village port, where Sokka recognized a docked ship and a mustached man outside advertising a shop in the ship.

At the moment the mustached man was giving a familiar speech to attract customers. "Earth Nation, Fire Nation…"

"Shut Up," Sokka interrupted.

The mustached man made a rude gesture at Sokka, but then recognized the top half of his face. "Hey, you shaved."

Cursing under his breath at being recognized Sokka grabbed the mustached man's shirt and pulled him close. "Not another word."

"Only if you buy something inside," the mustached man bargained.

Sokka let go and headed for the ship, while his friends followed behind him. Inside there was merchandize from every existing nation, something for everyone to get interested in. Katara found a scroll with waterbending forms on it, thinking that it would have been far more useful a year ago. Aang and Haru spotted a monkey statue with rubies for eyes, something they would like to have if they had a home to display it in. Suki found a new pair of war fans to replace the ones she lost in Ba Sing Se, except that they were made of grey metal instead of the gold plated steel from Kyoshi Island.

The captain of the vessel saw Sokka browsing the goods, remembering him from the last visit. "Ah, a returning customer, have you found anything you like?"

"Not in here," Sokka answered. Looking at the captain's outfit gave him an idea. "Say… you guys are pirates, right?"

"We prefer the term high risk traders," the captain admitted.

"I don't suppose you like to hedge your bets?" Sokka asked.

"Uh oh," Toph muttered, having a vague idea of where this was going. "Sokka, what crazy scheme are you thinking about this time?"

"A high risk scheme," Sokka answered. "Captain, are you interested in doing a blockade run?"

A grin spread across the captain's face. "I do have some… _unorthodox_ business in the Fire Nation."

"So do we," Sokka said, trying to be just as vague as the captain. "Your crew sail while we fly. We split the Fire Nation's attention, allowing both of us to get through the blockade."

* * *

><p>In an hour Appa was back in the air with Haru at the reins, and the pirate ship was sailing beneath the sky bison. Favorable winds pushed the pirate ship just as fast as Appa could fly, straight west towards the Fire Nation. The blockade reappeared on the horizon, still on alert for the sky bison. The sailors on the ships saw Appa long before they saw the pirate ship, and started aiming the catapults to launch fiery boulders at the bison first.<p>

While Appa dodged the first salvo of flaming rocks the pirate ship below was safe from the bombardment, the projectiles falling into the water far behind the ship. Already the ship was getting closer to the blockade than it could have without the bison distracting the Fire Nation, improving their odds with each passing moment. But the ship could only avoid attention for so long, and the blockade spotted the pirates before the ship could get through the blockade.

Half of the Fire Nation ships adjusted their aim for the pirates, firing their catapults at a lower angle and slower velocity. The pirate ship was less agile than Appa, and the flaming boulders were on course for a direct hit. But on both sides of the ship streams of water rose from the sea and intercepted the projectiles, protecting the ship from harm.

The pirate captain grinned as he watched Aang and Katara on the deck of his ship, using waterbending to maintain a shield. "Keep it up, we're nearly there," the captain said.

Several signal flares rose from the Fire Nation ships, used to coordinate the actions of the entire blockade. In response the ships closest to the pirates changed course, aligning to make a wall too wide for the pirates to avoid. The blockade resumed firing all of the catapults at Appa, counting on the pirates being unable to maneuver around the makeshift wall of ships.

"I got an idea!" Aang yelled to Katara. "Follow my lead!"

Aang started focusing his waterbending down, pushing away the water beneath the pirate ship. As a void formed in the sea the ship dropped into it, making it appear to sink beneath the waves. Katara realized what Aang had in mind and started bending the water rising up the sides of the ship, shaping the water into a dome holding a large bubble of air. Momentum kept the ship moving forward as it dived, while the waterbending allowed it to sink beneath the surface without filling the ship with water.

Below the surface the pirate crew could see the hulls of the Fire Nation fleet, having a view that few dared to see. The ship was directly beneath the blockade when the strain of bending so much water exhausted Aang. When his bending failed the water below pushed up on the ship, and it quickly rose back to the surface. The ship burst out of the water just behind the blockade, right when Katara collapsed from exhaustion.

Crewmen on the Fire Nation ships panicked when they saw the pirate ship rise out of the sea behind the blockade, as their captains would blame them for the unauthorized ship getting through. They started turning the catapults around to target the pirates, but it took several minutes to rotate the large weapons and aim them properly. And while they attempted to regain control of the situation Appa flew over the blockade, momentarily safe in the skies directly above the Fire Nation ships where the catapults could not reach.

By the time the Fire Nation ships were firing at the pirate ship again it was already sailing away, becoming harder to hit with each passing second. Appa followed the pirates while dodging more flaming boulders, which was getting easier as the bombardment thinned with distance. When both Appa and the pirates were outside the blockade's firing range the sky bison descended, making a landing on the deck of the pirate ship.

Haru and Sokka hopped off Appa and onto the deck of the ship, while Toph stayed behind in the saddle. "We made it!" Sokka yelled, hurrying to his sister once he was on the ship.

Aang slowly got to his feet, still feeling tired from all the waterbending. But he was glad to see that his friends and Appa were alright. "Now that we're in the Fire Nation, what's our next move Sokka?"

Sokka hummed as he thought about the plan to use the solar eclipse. "We need to find out where the Fire Lord is going to be on the day of the eclipse. It's probably going to be the capital, but we can't be certain about that."

"Where is the capital?" Haru asked.

"Umm…" Sokka muttered, not having a clue. "I really don't know."

The pirate captain approached Sokka and the others. "The capital is on the biggest island, which is about as far west as one can get before ending up back east," he answered.

"Thanks," Sokka said. He paused for a moment while a thought popped into his mind. "How do you know that?"

With a grin the captain answered the question. "I did some tea smuggling several years back for the Dragon of the West. Earth Kingdom blends are hard to come by in the Fire Nation, especially the ones that add a hint of cactus juice to the mix."

"Neat," Sokka commented. He looked towards the western horizon and could already see land appear. "Well we better get flying."

"One more thing," the captain insisted. "When you're finished in the Fire Nation, rendezvous on the island that Piandao lives on. It's the one in the middle of the Fire Nation, just a little west of the island that has a badly polluted river. That's where this ship will be in a few weeks and we can repeat the blockade run on the way back to the Earth Kingdom."

"Assuming we're all still alive," Sokka said.

The captain laughed for a moment. "There's that," he agreed.

From Appa's saddle Toph yelled at everyone. "Can we get out of here already?" she demanded, wanting Appa to get off the ship as quickly as possible.

"Hold your ostrich-horses!" Haru yelled back. He helped Aang get into Appa's saddle while Sokka helped Katara, both of which were too exhausted to climb in by themselves. Once everyone was in Appa's saddle Haru took the reins, as Aang was still too exhausted to do it himself. "Appa, Yip Yip."

Appa took off from the pirate ship and flew towards the nearest island, leaving behind their alliance of convenience. The pirate ship set sail on a different course, going around that island to head for another destination. Before long they lost sight of each other, heading their separate ways for entirely different goals. For good measure Sokka counted the days they still had before the eclipse, and felt much better about their chances of reaching their destination in time.

In the meantime Sokka sat back in the saddle next to Toph, where he found one of the new belts attached to the saddle. "Why in the world didn't we think of these before?" Sokka wondered aloud, buckling himself in for the ride.


	34. The Infiltration

Chapter 33: The Infiltration

While in the Fire Nation skies Appa hid above the clouds, making a slow beeline for the Fire Nation capital. Whenever the skies were clear Appa landed on one of the islands that constituted the Fire Nation, giving Aang and his friends time to rest. A week before the eclipse would arrive they stopped on the second largest island in the Fire Nation, the last place where any of them could gather information about the capital before reaching it. In the morning Appa landed on the island and walked into a cave, falling asleep in the back. While they let Appa rest Aang and his friends approached a nearby town, looking for clothes to take and make disguises out of.

A small farm on the outskirts was practically asking for someone to steal from clotheslines, which Toph was all too happy to oblige. "Dibs on the little shirt," she said, right before running for the clothesline.

"You can't call dibs on theft," Haru complained.

"I call the silk robe," Katara said, following Toph's lead.

Aang hesitated at first, but then followed Katara. "I call the suit."

"The dress is mine," Suki said.

Despite knowing that they all needed disguises, Haru wished his friends weren't so eager about stealing them. When Haru saw Sokka head for the clothesline he sighed and followed, selecting the first outfit that was in his size. Haru took a basic red suit with black pants, while he saw Suki take a dark red dress similar to her old uniform. When everyone had stolen a disguise they retreated to the cave that Appa was in, each taking a few minutes to put on their new clothes.

"This feels weird," Haru said, finding the Fire Nation colors hard to get used to.

"Feels fine to me," Toph said, while ripping the soles off a pair of shoes.

"That's because colors mean nothing to someone that's blind," Haru reasoned.

"Yup," Toph agreed, putting on her new soleless shoes.

Nearby Sokka stood at the cave entrance, while Katara was next to him. "We'll be back in a few hours," Sokka said.

"Where are you two going?" Aang asked.

"Shopping," Sokka answered.

Katara glared at her brother. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Among other things," Sokka added. He pointed a thumb at Aang's head arrow tattoo. "That needs a hat to cover up while we're incognito. And we need to find out what the Fire Lord looks like before we can find him."

"What should the rest of us do?" Haru asked.

Toph raised her hand. "We can share earthbending techniques."

"Like that trick that lets you fake sight?" Haru said.

"Yup," Toph answered. "And there are a few other things I want to try."

"You do that," Sokka said, already walking out of the cave with Katara.

For the first time since leaving the South Pole, the two Water Tribe siblings wandered with just each other for company. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since they found Aang in the iceberg, both seeing so much of the world in so little time. Neither had expected to end up in the Fire Nation when they had left home, much less on a mission to assassinate the Fire Lord.

While walking down a dirt path in a thin forest, Sokka and Katara were the only people in the area. "So how's Gran Gran?" Katara asked.

"She was just fine when I left," Sokka answered. "But that was just a week after you left."

"What took you so long to catch up?" Katara asked.

Sokka glared at his sister. "Hey, at least I made it to the North Pole. No one told me you guys stopped halfway there."

Katara raised one eyebrow. "You reached the North Pole? When?"

"Before the last lunar eclipse," Sokka answered. "You must have noticed it."

"Yeah, when my waterbending stopped working," Katara said. "Did something happen during it where you were?"

Sokka stretched his arms behind his back. "Well… I _tried_ to save the Northern Water Tribe."

"Tried?" Katara questioned. "How'd you screw up this time?"

"I didn't have Aang with me," Sokka answered, jerking a thumb back towards the cave.

"That would have helped," Katara commented. "He did save a swamp tribe with some kind of giant spirit monkey."

The image that made in Sokka's imagination made him laugh. "I'd say you're joking, if I hadn't seen a giant spirit owl."

It was Katara's turn to laugh. "Did your spirit animal talk too?"

"Too much," Sokka joked. "And I pissed it off too."

Katara laughed even harder. "How'd you do that?"

"I threw a book at it," Sokka answered. At that moment he noticed that they were about to enter the local town, which wasn't the place for the current conversation. "Well, let's get what we need and get out."

* * *

><p>Back at the cave Suki watched the earthbenders practice their techniques, keeping an eye out for any wandering Fire Nation folk that might stumble upon them. Toph had a few new ideas for earthbending, now that she had a fellow earthbender as well as the Avatar to fight alongside. Aang and Haru thought Toph was crazy at first, before she explained how her idea worked.<p>

"This should be good," Suki muttered to herself, sitting on a stone and resting her head on her hands.

First to earthbend was Toph, shaping stone from the cave around herself into the twenty foot tall golem that she was fond of. Haru mimicked the earthbending to make his own stone titan, just as tall but narrower and blocky with his face exposed in the titan's head. Aang used his own earthbending to make a ten foot tall stone armor around himself, going for mobility over size. Toph gave Aang and Haru a little bit of time to get accustomed to bending so much earth at once, before they started sparring.

Haru started by charging straight at Toph, ramming the titan's shoulder into the golem's chest. Pieces of rock broke off both of them, scattering gravel onto the cave floor. Toph retaliated by slamming her golem's fist into the titan's back, knocking it onto its hands and knees. She raised her golem's arms to strike again, but was interrupted by Aang jumping underneath her and landing an uppercut in the golem's torso. As Toph's golem stumbled back Aang swung a kick, but was thwarted by Haru swinging his titan's arm and tossed Aang away.

Aang slammed into the cave wall and fell to the floor, which shook when Haru tackled Toph and the weight of the golem and titan hit the ground. Aang got up and ran back into battle, slamming into Toph and knocking her into the wall. But that tactic left Aang open to Haru, whose titan grabbed Aang's armor by the leg and swung him into Toph's golem. Aang armor broke apart he fell to the floor, while Toph's golem stumbled into the cave wall.

Loose rock broke off the cave ceiling in the impact, forcing Suki to take cover. "Watch it!" Suki yelled. She saw Toph's golem tackle Haru's titan, shoving him into another wall and making the cave shake again. "You're going to cause a cave in!"

While the golem and titan grabbled Aang leaped on top of them both, bringing down his fists and hitting both of them at once. Aang's earthbending make cracks spread from where his fists struck, which covered both golem and titan in seconds. After his earthbending Aang dropped to the floor, and behind him the golem and titan broke apart. As the rock crumbled Toph and Haru fell onto the floor, both getting back on their feet and facing Aang.

After a few seconds of glaring at each other, all three of them started laughing. "Well that was fun," Aang said.

Leaning against the cave wall, Haru stretched his arms. "That's quite a workout."

"Let's go again," Toph said.

"Not a good idea," Suki interrupted. She gestured to all of the rock broken off the cave walls and ceiling, which had hundreds of cave bugs hopping all over the place. "You guys might collapse the entire cave."

"Like anyone would miss this place," Toph said.

As if on cue Suki heard several sets of footsteps coming from outside the cave. "You were saying?"

"Hide," Haru ordered.

Aang created one of his air spheres and rode it to the back of the cave, where Appa was still sleeping. He quickly earthbended a stone wall to hide the sky bison, but left several holes for Appa to breathe. While Aang hid with Appa the others made their own hiding places, Toph choosing to hide below the floor while Haru hid in a wall with Suki.

Looking through small eye holes Haru earthbended, Suki looked towards the cave entrance. She expected a squad of Fire Nation troops investigating the sounds made by earthbenders, but that wasn't what she saw entering the cave. Instead she saw a Fire Nation couple enter, both middle aged with short black hair.

The man looked around the cave, seeing the rubble left by the earthbending. "You know what this means?"

The woman nodded, seeing the same signs. "Yes I do."

Suki clenched her fists, expecting the couple to discover them any moment. "We have to stop them," Suki whispered to Haru.

"On three," Haru whispered. He got ready to earthbend, while watching the couple through eye holes in the rock. "One… Two…"

Right then the woman turned around and raised her voice. "Kids, bring the baskets!"

"Baskets?" Suki muttered.

Five children ran into the cave, each carrying a pair of wicker baskets. There were four girls in front between five and ten years old, followed by an eight year old boy wearing a shirt with _I love grilled hoppers_ hand stitched into it. All of the kids started digging in the rubble, collecting the cave hoppers that had been disturbed in the earthbending. Grabbing handfuls of bugs at a time, the kids stuffed them inside their baskets with lids to keep the bugs from hopping back out.

The father of the children smiled as he watched the kids collect cave hoppers. "Knew that earthquake would bring out the cave hoppers," he said to his wife.

"I'll get the grill heated up," the mother said, turning to leave the cave.

For several minutes the children collected cave hoppers while the father watched, waiting until each kid had completely filled their baskets. "Alright kids, let's get cooking."

As a group all five children walked out of the cave with their filled baskets, and their father left behind them. None of them had noticed the four people hiding in the cave behind earthbended rock, who remained hidden for several minutes after the family had left. When it appeared to be safe the three earthbenders opened their hiding places, walking back into the main part of the cave.

"What just happened?" Suki asked.

Aang scratched his head. "I think we just helped feed a Fire Nation family."

Toph started patting her stomach, which rumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. "How do you think they cook those bugs?"

Haru looked at his friends, wondering if they were thinking the same thing he was. He eyed the cave exit, and noticed Suki doing the same and Toph leaning in that direction. At the same time all three of them ran for the exit, while Aang stood still and watched them leave for food. Aang would have left with them, if the food had been vegetarian instead of bugs.

* * *

><p>Inside the local Fire Nation town, Sokka and Katara completed most of their shopping in an hour. Sokka purchased a large red bag to hold their supplies, which reminded him of the green one he had back in the Earth Kingdom. Katara found a red woolen hat for Aang to cover his arrow tattoo with, along with red gloves to cover the arrows on the back of his hands. And then Sokka purchased an item that he wished he had months ago, a Fire Nation map.<p>

"Finally," Sokka muttered, walking out of the store with Katara. "This is going to make getting around a lot simpler."

"You do know how to read that, right?" Katara asked.

Sokka partly unrolled the map as he walked, enough to see the main islands of the Fire Nation. And there was a big black star on the largest island, indicating the capital city. "See, that's where we need to go."

"Doesn't tell us much about what's there," Katara said.

"That's what we have Toph for," Sokka said. He rolled up the map and put it away, and then noticed his stomach rumbling. "Hey, do you want to eat here or head back to the others first?"

Katara shrugged. "I don't feel like cooking today."

After a short stroll through the town Sokka spotted an outdoor stand where a merchant was selling hot meals. On the menu was a slice of meat held in a piece of bread split down the middle, with hot sauce on top of the meat. The merchant called it a 'hot cat-dog' and was selling them to anyone walking by that wanted to try it. Sokka bought a pair for himself while Katara only wanted one.

With their hot cat-dogs in hand Sokka and Katara sat down on an outdoor bench with a wooden table, which was next to a small park. While she ate Katara watched several small children play in the park, who only cared about their game of hide and explode. Sokka unrolled his map on the table and examined it while he ate, being careful to not spill hot sauce on it.

"This is really good," Sokka said, finishing the last bite of his first cat-dog.

Since her mouth was full, Katara only nodded in agreement.

Looking over the map, Sokka formed a plan for how to get into the capital city without being discovered. With flight at their disposal they could reach any part of the island, bypassing the only port it had which would be under constant surveillance. According to the map the southern coastline of the island was a sheer cliff, worn completely smooth by crashing waves and tides. It seemed simple enough to have Aang and Haru earthbend a landing site when they get there, then tunnel their way to the capital city undetected.

"Okay, I've got step one figured out," Sokka whispered.

Katara finished her cat-dog before whispering back. "What about step two?"

"We still need to find out what the Fire Lord looks like," Sokka answered. He took a moment to finish his second cat-dog before continuing. "All I have to go on is Sparky's face, but that assumes his old man looks like an older version of him."

"He might also resemble that princess that chased us a while back," Katara said.

"Princess?" Sokka questioned, along with a slight snicker.

"Black hair in bangs, same eyes as Sparky, bends blue fire," Katara described. "Ring any bells?"

"Not really," Sokka admitted. There was one person he knew was close to that description, but lacked the blue fire part.

Then Katara put a hand to her face. "Sorry, forgot you weren't there when she attacked us."

"That's okay," Sokka said. "Still, it shouldn't be hard to find the Fire Lord. He'll probably have guards and wear some kind of crown."

"Probably armed guards," Katara assumed. The thought of fighting during the eclipse brought up a question. "Sokka, we're probably going to end up fighting indoors. If we're not outside, how are we going to know when the eclipse starts?"

Sokka paused at that question, having never thought about that issue before. But a simple and practical solution came to mind. "We'll just have Aang hold a fireball while we wait for the eclipse. When it goes out on its own, we'll know that firebending is off."

"That's… actually pretty clever," Katara said. "We should get back and tell the others."

"I wonder what they're up to," Sokka said.

* * *

><p>Toph, Suki, and Haru followed the Fire Nation family to their home, which happened to be the farm that they had stolen clothes from earlier. From a distance Suki and Haru watched the parents cook outside, taking turns firebending into a grill. The cave hoppers the children collected had their heads removed, while the rest of their bodies were seasoned and grilled to a golden brown. The aroma of grilling cave hoppers reached Suki and her friends, making all three bellies rumble.<p>

"So are we going to steal food now too?" Haru asked.

"Just our cut of it," Toph reasoned. "They did get a lot of bugs because of us."

Suki gestured towards the farm's clothesline, which used to have the clothes they were all wearing now. "How are we going to keep them from noticing their own clothing?"

"Like this," Toph answered. She earthbended the ground beneath her feet, making her sink beneath the surface with barely a sound.

A slight ripple in the ground showed where Toph was tunneling, only noticeable if one knew to look for it. That ripple moved into the farm and stopped near a table, which had several plates of grilled cave hoppers on it. Toph bended the ground beneath the table to make a miniature earthquake, which shook one of the plates off the table. When the plate hit the ground Toph made it sink beneath the ground, falling into her waiting hands below. With her meal Toph headed back to her friends, filling in the tunnel she just made.

Toph popped back up from the ground and offered the plate with grilled cave hoppers to Suki and Haru. "Lunch is served."

Cautiously Haru sampled one of the cave hoppers, finding it crunchy yet tasteful. "This is better than I was expecting."

"I guess anything can be good if cooked right," Suki said, taking a bite for herself.

"Yup," Toph added, stuffing her mouth.

When they finished eating they left the plate on the ground where anyone could see it, leaving it there for the family to find later. It only took a few minutes to reach the cave, with Appa still sleeping in the back. Aang was sitting on the cave floor with his back resting against Appa's fur, trying to take a nap. He heard his friends coming back into the cave, so he stopped trying to nap and stood up.

"Hey guys," Aang greeted. "Did they have any vegetables?"

"Nope," Toph answered. Then she noticed two more people approaching the cave. "Maybe Sugarqueen and Snoozles got some green stuff?"

A second later Katara and Sokka entered the cave, hearing Toph's nicknames. "Please don't call us that again," Katara asked.

"Sure thing, Sweetness," Toph said.

"Not what I meant," Katara complained, shaking her head in frustration. She turned her attention to Aang, handing him the red hat and gloves she bought earlier. "Here Aang, these will help cover up."

"Thanks," Aang said, trying on the hat and gloves.

"We also got this map," Sokka said, showing it to everyone. "We should be good to go for the eclipse."

"Great," Aang said. Then his belly started rumbling. "Hey, did you pick up some veggies in town?"

Sokka patted the back of his head, feeling his stomach sinking fast. "Uh…"


	35. The Day of Black Sun

Chapter 34: The Day of Black Sun

Sailing on the seas within the Fire Nation's borders, the Fire Navy's flagship was bound for home. Flanked by half a dozen warships and in friendly waters, there was no risk to the special passengers aboard. Both heirs to the throne were on the same ship, eagerly waiting for the ship to make port at the capital.

The Fire Nation capital was a sight for sore eyes, as far as Prince Zuko was concerned. It had been several months since he last saw home, leaving to lead the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe. That victory had been the prince's greatest triumph, and that alone was enough to return home a hero to his people. Adding to the glory was the political devastation of Ba Sing Se, which restored the honor lost in the failed six hundred day siege.

But Zuko's glory wasn't untarnished, since his scheme to exploit an amnesiac Avatar had gone awry. At the moment the Avatar's location was unknown, which to Zuko meant that the Avatar could show up anywhere at any time. That uncertainty had to be accounted for, especially after the extreme risk the Avatar's friends had gone through to get him back.

Standing at the bow of the ship Zuko looked towards home, missing the company of Mai. He heard someone walking up to him, and he turned to see his sister. "Has there been any word from Mai and Ty Lee?"

"Not since the last hawk," Azula answered. She stopped and stood next to her brother, sharing the sight of home. "Look at it this way, if they're successful, there won't be a hawk before they get back here."

That brought a smile to Zuko's face. "I just hope they can get back before tomorrow's eclipse."

* * *

><p>Early on the following morning a sky bison flew very close to the ocean waters, surrounded by a shroud of waterbended mist. Appa was approaching the Fire Nation capital from the south, heading for the island's sheer cliffs. There were Fire Nation ships patrolling the island's coast, some noticing the mist concealing Appa. But the people on the sky bison had a plan to get around the ships.<p>

"Dive," Sokka ordered.

At the same time Aang and Katara waterbended the ocean beneath Appa, pulling water up and enveloping the sky bison. Inside his own air pocket Appa flew down, the air bubble moving with Appa as he dived beneath the ocean waves. With six people and a sky bison in the bubble there were only a few minutes of air inside, which was more than enough to slip past the patrolling ships unnoticed.

When it started getting difficult to breathe in the bubble Appa flew upward, breaking through the ocean surface as Aang and Katara stopped waterbending. Appa quickly closed the distance to the island's southern cliff, stopping in midair a few feet from black volcanic rock and a few feet above the water. From the saddle Haru earthbended the rock, pushing it into the island to create a landing space for Appa. Immediately Appa landed in that space, allowing everyone on the sky bison to climb off.

Once he was on solid rock Haru earthbended a thin stone wall behind Appa, making it seamless with the cliff but with a long narrow crack to let air and dim light inside. "That should hold," Haru said.

"Should?" Katara questioned.

"This rock bends weirdly," Haru explained. "It's different from rock in the Earth Kingdom."

"We are in an island that has a volcano," Suki said.

Toph put her hand down on the floor, taking in the sight vibrations gave her. "Yeah, I don't have a whole lot of experience bending volcanic rock. It wants to shatter instead of break cleanly like the rocks back home."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Sokka asked.

"Not for large bending," Toph answered. "Just don't ask me to do any delicate stuff."

"We don't need delicate right now," Sokka said. He turned towards Aang, barely seeing him in the dim light provided from outside. "Aang, we need more light."

"Coming up," Aang said. He held out his right arm and opened his hand, igniting a small flame that he held in his palm. That flame illuminated the space they were in, enough for everyone but Toph to see with.

"Aang, keep that flame up for as long as possible," Sokka ordered. "We need to find the Fire Lord before it goes out when the eclipse starts."

"Then we better get moving," Toph said. She started earthbending volcanic rock out of her way, starting a tunnel leading into the island.

Everyone started walking deeper into the island, leaving Appa behind to wait for their return. Toph and Haru took turns lengthening the tunnel with earthbending, as well as bending small vertical shafts to let more air in. It slowly got hotter as they tunneled deeper into the island, getting closer to the volcano within the island. But after a few miles of tunneling something stopped them, something that Sokka hadn't been expecting.

A solid metal wall, buried within the rock.

"I think we're getting close," Sokka guessed. He walked up to the wall at the end of the earthbended tunnel and pounded a fist on the metal, which sounded like it was very thick. "Toph, do you see a way around it?"

Toph walked up to the wall and punched it, amplifying the range of her vibration sight. What she saw made her frown. "No good, this wall curves around the island as far as I can see."

"What about down?" Katara asked. "Can we get beneath it?"

"Not if you want to get cooked alive," Toph answered. She could see where the bottom of the wall was, nearly within the heart of the volcano itself.

"How could they build a metal wall so deep underground?" Haru asked.

Vibrations in the metal gave Toph an answer, different from any other wall she had ever felt before. "This wall wasn't built. It was poured."

"Talk about simple construction," Sokka said, finding the obstacle very clever. "They just dug a really deep trench and dumped molten metal in. Crude, but effective."

"You can complement it later," Suki interrupted. "We have to get past it."

"Right," Sokka said. He gazed at the tunnel's ceiling, not liking the only option at hand. "It looks like we'll have to get above ground."

"Going up," Toph said. She started earthbending the floor to raise it up, while Haru earthbended the ceiling out of the way. They left a vertical shaft to connect their rising space with the rest of the tunnel, to avoid cutting off their air supply. At the top they entered a small cellar, replacing part of its floor with rock rising from beneath. "Top floor: shoes, shirts, and certain doom."

Sokka looked around the cellar, glad to find it empty. "Toph, what do you see outside?"

Toph crouched and put one hand on the floor, seeing a portion of the Fire Nation capital city. "Something's wrong. Everyone within range is waiting in underground bunkers."

"No one is above ground?" Katara asked.

"None," Toph confirmed. "It's like the city shut down."

"They know," Sokka realized. "They know the eclipse is coming."

"Called it," Toph said.

"Not now Toph," Sokka complained. He took a moment to think, to figure out what to do next. "We can still make this work. They don't know that we know about the eclipse."

"How does that help us?" Suki asked.

"Yeah," Haru said. "They'll probably have tons of guards even if they aren't expecting us."

"Then we'll need a distraction," Sokka said. "Haru, did Toph teach you that golem trick of hers?"

Haru nodded. "Mine's a little different, but basically the same thing."

"Good," Sokka said, showing a grin. "Then we'll need you to circle around the city, and make that golem when anyone spots you. Then go on a rampage."

"Can't I do that?" Toph asked, raising her hand. "It sounds like fun."

"We need your feet with the group," Sokka answered. "Once we leave this cellar and walk over that metal wall, we're going back underground."

"Got it," Toph said. "Let's go."

Slowly and one at a time everyone climbed up steps leading out of the cellar, entering a noble's ornate home. They didn't linger inside the building, heading straight for the front door and exiting through it. Outside the group found that they were next to the edge of a caldera, just inside a ring of igneous rock at the top of the volcano. The entire caldera was filled by the capital city, with the royal palace at the center.

As the city streets were empty, there was no one to spot the group out in the open. Still, Sokka didn't want to risk getting spotted and looked for secluded alleys to travel through unseen. Haru split off from the others, taking a route that would spiral inward towards the palace. Once Haru was out of sight Sokka led the others into one dark alley after another, only stopping when Toph's feet told her that they were past the underground metal wall.

Once again the group tunneled below ground, but with Toph doing most of the earthbending this time. Aang helped make the earthbending easier, but had to keep his flame going to keep track of time. The flame was still burning when the tunnel approached the center of the caldera, as Toph's feet were telling her that the palace was just up ahead and that they should slow down.

"We're here," Toph said. She placed a hand on rock in front of here, where she had stopped tunneling just a few inches away from open space. "There's a big underground labyrinth beneath the palace."

"Are there any guards?" Suki asked.

"Plenty," Toph answered. She paused and focused on her sight, noticing a change on the other side of the rock. "They're on the move, heading up."

Sokka smiled. "It looks like the distraction is working."

"Then we should get moving too," Katara insisted. "It won't take them long to figure out what we're doing."

"Going down," Toph announced. She earthbended the rock everyone was standing on, sending it down and taking everyone with it. But after dropping a few dozen feet they abruptly stopped. "Darn it! There's more metal."

"But we're still standing on rock," Suki said, looking down at the floor.

"Which is getting harder to push out of the way," Toph complained. "We'll have to walk from here."

"Um, guys?" Aang muttered. He held out his hand with the flame, which was starting to sputter and shrink. "I think the eclipse is starting."

"Great, we're running late," Sokka complained. "Well, I guess it's time to throw stealth out the window."

Toph grinned. "Rampage time?"

Sokka nodded. "Rampage time."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes earlier…<em>

Haru was sneaking through the Fire Nation capital one alley at a time, trying to put some distance between himself and his friends before starting his distraction. Along the way he found some city guards patrolling the streets, but they were few in number and spread thin. While waiting for the guards to pass Haru glanced upward at the Sun, but only for a few seconds at a time to check for the eclipse without hurting his eyes.

"Stop right there, Earth Kingdom scum!"

"Crud," Haru muttered. He turned around and towards the voice, seeing one of the city guards at the end of the alley he just entered. Haru earthbended a block of rock from the ground and threw it at the guard, hitting him and knocking the guard down. While the guard recovered Haru ran the other way, exiting the alley without bothering to check where he was running towards.

At the other end of the alley was a large cobblestone road, which was a straight line between the caldera's main entrance and the palace's front door. In front of the palace there was a small wall with a gate crossing the road, and there were dozens of palace guards just past the gate. Those guards spotted Haru running into the road and ordered that the gate be open, allowing them to march out and attempt to apprehend him.

While the guards marched through the gate Haru ran towards it, trying to confront them before anyone could realize that he was alone. Haru had to dodge fireballs thrown by some of the guards, but firebenders were in the minority among those that wielding spears. When he was twenty feet away from the guards Haru dropped and rolled forward, earthbending the cobblestone road to wrap himself in a large sphere of stone. He rolled into the guards and broke their formation, and then Haru shattered his sphere and sent stone shrapnel in every direction. Chunks of stone hit the closest dozen guards and made the rest disperse to avoid getting hit, but quickly regrouped and surrounded Haru.

"Surrender!" one guard demanded.

"Um… No," Haru said. With quick arm motions Haru earthbended the road to pull up more stone, and used it to cover himself in stone again. Then he reshaped the stone into a twenty foot tall titan with him inside, towering over the guards. Haru looked out through eye holes in his titan's head, which resembled a helmet and functioned as such.

With his titan Haru attacked the guards, swinging large rock arms that tossed guards into the air. Firebenders among the guards fought back with fireballs, which scorched the rock but not the earthbender inside. Other guards attacked with their spears and struck the titan's legs, puncturing the stone but not hitting flesh. The titan's legs were all stone as Haru's legs were inside the titan's chest, and he laughed as he kicked with the titan's legs to knock back the guards.

Once Haru had dealt with the guards he directed his titan towards the palace, passing through the open gates with each step echoing in the empty city. As he walked through the palace's courtyard Haru heard a distinct crackling noise, one that made his neck hairs stand on end. Haru looked up and saw someone on a fifth floor balcony, who had electricity trailing from her moving fingers. He recognized Azula in time to react to her shooting lightning at him, raising both of the titan's arms to block.

Azula's lightning hit the titan's crossed arms, exploding on contact and obliterating both limbs. Azula didn't give Haru any time to repair the damage, thrusting both fists down to shoot a stream of blue fire at the titan. The blue flames covered the top half of Haru's titan, forcing him to seal his eye holes right away to keep from getting burned. The temperature quickly rose inside the titan, making Haru sweat as the rock scorched and blackened.

Suddenly Azula's fire began to shrink, gradually burning less and less of Haru's titan. Azula put more effort into her firebending to make the flames larger, but that only slowed down the shrinking. When the flames were small enough to only cover the titan's head they changed color, from Azula's signature blue to normal red and orange. And then the flames went out altogether, and Azula looked at the sky to see the solar eclipse.

* * *

><p>Underneath the palace half a dozen guards were hurrying down a large hallway, responding to an alert called from the ground floor. They were caught off guard when the upper half of the left wall exploded into rock shrapnel, disorienting them and halting their progress through the hallway. A torrent of rock, water, and wind followed and struck all of the guards, slamming them into the opposite wall and knocking them out.<p>

Aang jumped out of the hole in the wall onto the metal floor, which was a few feet lower than where Toph had stopped earthbending the rock they had been standing on. Aang had let his flame go out in order to airbend, and he reopened his hand to reignite the flame. He got a small flame that quickly sputtered out, and when he tried again all Aang got were sparks. "The eclipse is here."

Sokka jumped out of the hole, followed by Toph and Katara. "Toph, you're on point," Sokka ordered, counting on her feet to see farther than his eyes. "Find anything that might be the Fire Lord's bunker."

With Toph leading the charge the group headed straight for the nearest large chamber, ignoring side passages that Toph's feet said were dead ends. The hallway ended at a set of large metal doors before a large chamber, and there was another hallway that intersected at the large doors. The large chamber was big enough for the far side to be out of Toph's sight.

"In here," Toph said, approaching the large doors with the others.

Suki and Sokka each took one of the large doors and pushed them open, while the others prepared to attack. As the doors swung open Aang and Katara ran through with Toph right behind them, ready to face whatever was inside. At the far end of the chamber was a small throne, meant as a backup for when the palace was under siege. But the Fire Lord wasn't sitting in it.

Prince Zuko was.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Zuko said. He casually reached into a pocket in his armor, taking out a pocket watch and checking the time. "You're late."

"Where's your old man?" Sokka demanded.

"Oh he's around," Zuko answered. He put away the pocket watch and stood up, letting his foes see that he had his swords with him. "But you'll have to deal with me instead."

"Bring it!" Suki yelled, drawing her war fans.

"We don't have time for this," Sokka argued.

"You won't find him before the eclipse ends," Zuko said.

"He's lying," Toph said.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Zuko said.

"And he's wasting our time," Katara said.

"Duh," Toph added. She turned away from Zuko and started walking out of the chamber, knowing that he lacked the ability to shoot fire or lightning in her back. Toph looked down the intersecting hallway in both directions, which extended beyond the range of her sight. "Alright guys, left or right?"

"You can't tell?" Suki said.

"They both look the same," Toph answered.

"Should we flip a coin?" Aang asked.

"No time," Sokka said. He went with what his gut was telling him. "Left."

Zuko watched his enemies leave the chamber and run down the left hallway, doing nothing to stop them. He casually walked out as well, but stopped just outside the doors. And then he turned right, heading for a stairwell that led down towards his father's bunker. But he kept a slow pace, allowing the Avatar to have a head start. Zuko had memorized the layout of the underground tunnels, knowing that _both_ directions led the Fire Lord.

At the end of the left hallway was a stairwell, providing a way down to the next level and past the metal floor. At the bottom was another corridor of volcanic rock, just above the heart of the volcano. Though Toph now had more rock to earthbend, she hesitated to use any large scale earthbending on the floor in fear of releasing lava beneath her feet. At the end of the corridor was another bunker nestled in rock, seemingly insignificant in comparison to the previous bunker.

"This had better be it," Sokka said. "We don't have time for another one."

Together Aang and Toph earthbended volcanic rock from the walls and hurled it at the bunker, breaking down its doors. On the other side were a dozen guards standing at attention, each wielding a spear in both hands. And behind the guards, sitting on a cushioned seat with a cup of tea in hand, was the Fire Lord. He looked just like an older version of Zuko, but with the crown headpiece in his topknot.

Seeing the Fire Lord was enough to tell Aang that he was facing the right guy, as everything about him seemed right for the guy in charge. "Fire Lord, your days of tyranny are over!"

Fire Lord Ozai simply looked at Aang, seemingly bored with the situation. "Kill them," he ordered his guards, and casually sipped his tea.

The dozen guards marched towards Aang and his friends, aiming their spears forward. Three of them closed in on Aang, being the most dangerous bender at the moment. They relentlessly stabbed and slashed with their spears, forcing Aang to block with earthbended rock and leaving no opportunities for him to retaliate.

Three guards closed in on Toph, but could not get close enough to hit her. Toph pulled rock from the walls to block the guards' advance, while using more rock to strike back. But the armor the guards were wearing protected them from the damage Toph's earthbending could do, creating a stalemate between them.

Another three guards closed in on Katara, cutting through her water attacks with their spear blades. She tried to freeze the guards' feet to the floor, but the heat in the rock melted away her ice. Katara resorted to bending ice onto her arms, using the improvised shields to block spear strikes. Each hit cracked and split Katara's ice, forcing her to repair her defense instead of retaliating.

The remaining three guards went after Suki and Sokka, seeing that they carried weapons and were likely not benders. Suki pulled out her war fans and held off two of the guards, catching their spear strikes with her fans. Sokka fought of the last guard, using his club in one hand and his boomerang in the other. He threw his boomerang at the guard and missed, having to block a spear stab with his club. But the boomerang came back around in the small bunker, hitting the guard in the back of the head and knocking him out.

With his opponent down Sokka helped Suki, bashing one of those guards in the back with his club. Another swing of his club to the guard's head allowed Sokka to bring him down, and let Suki focus on the one guard she had left. Suki blocked a spear strike with one fan and used the other to break the guard's spear in two, creating an opening to bash both fans into the sides of the guard's head. For good measure Sokka kicked the guard in the back, followed by Suki kicking the guard's chest to knock him down and slam his head against the floor.

Together Suki and Sokka attacked on the guards fighting Katara, taking one by surprise with club and war fans to the back. The other two guards were distracted by their comrade's downfall long enough to Katara to strike, bending all of her water into a block of ice and slamming it into one of the guards. Katara melted and bent the water back to her, hurling it at the third guard just as Sokka and Suki attacked. Water to the face and weapons to the back brought down the guard, making him collapse on top of the other two.

Katara, Sokka, and Suki each picked one of the three guards fighting Toph, charging at them with their respective forms of attack. One guard was hit in the legs with water, the second was hit in the back with a club, and the third was hit in the head with war fans. All three guards were then hit by rock Toph earthbended from the walls, knocking them off their feet. Each guard received a kick to the face by Katara, Sokka, and Suki, knocking them all out.

Aang saw his friends ganging up on the three guards he was fending off, hitting one with water and a club while hitting another with rock and war fans. They allowed Aang to focus on the third guard, and he used a strong wind and an earthbened rock to hit the guard's spear and yank it out of his hands. But then the guard charged at Aang with both fists raised for hand to hand combat, and Aang instinctively reacted by punching the air between them…

…and punched a fireball at the guard.

"Uh Oh," Aang muttered, realizing that the eclipse was over.

Fire Lord Ozai saw the last guard fall beside his seat, brought down by Aang's fireball. Ozai calmly set down his tea and stood up, ready to join the battle now that firebending was back. "My turn," Ozai said.

In one swift circular motion of his arms Ozai charged a bolt of lightning, firing it much faster than either of his children could manage. Aang only had a split second to react to the lightning aimed at his heart, and he instinctively jumped out of the way. The lightning hit the wall behind the spot Aang used to be, exploding on impact and blowing a hole in the wall. Ozai quickly charged and fired another bolt of lightning, aimed at the spot Aang was leaping into.

A last second water whip from Katara saved Aang's life, as she wrapped it around Aang's waist and pulled him out of the lightning's path. But another lightning bolt quickly followed, and there was only a second for Toph to block it by bending rock up from the floor into a wall. Heat from lava below escaped while Toph earthbended the floor, releasing steam into the bunker while Ozai's lightning destroyed the rock wall.

The steam in the bunker coalesced as Katara waterbended it into shards of ice, hurling them at Ozai. With a casual wave of his hand Ozai created enough fire to melt all of Katara's ice, and followed that move by charging another lightning bolt. At the last moment before firing Ozai changed his target, seeing Sokka throw his boomerang. Ozai's lightning hit Sokka's boomerang in midair, exploding on contact and obliterating the weapon.

"My Boomerang!" Sokka screamed.

Another lightning bolt was aimed at Sokka's heart, only missing when Suki tackled Sokka to get him out of the way. The missed lightning hit the wall and blew it apart, showing Suki and Sokka in rubble while Ozai charged another lightning bolt. Sokka thought he was going to join his boomerang, but was yanked out of the way with Suki by one of Katara's water whips. That lightning bolt hit the floor where they used to be, blowing it apart and creating a crater in the floor.

At the bottom of the crater the rock cracked and split apart, allowing molten rock to seep through and fill the bunker with choking heat and more steam. Aang tried to earthbend the lava into an attack, but the molten rock poured out of the shape that Aang tried to make. Realizing that conventional earthbending wouldn't work properly on molten rock, Aang applied waterbending techniques to his earthbending. He made the lava flow into the space in front of Ozai, creating a wall of molten rock to block more lightning.

Before anyone could be cooked alive Toph earthbended the lava still in the crater, trying to make it stay in one place. Toph held the earthbending long enough for the lava to cool and harden into new igneous rock, and she was protected from Ozai's lightning by Aang's lava wall. The lava wall absorbed every lightning attack that hit it, channeling the energy into additional heat and keeping the rock molten. And then Aang bent the lava towards Ozai, shaping it into a dome that enveloped the Fire Lord.

But when the lava dome was in place Ozai started firebending heat out of it, forcing the lava to cool into solid rock while compressing the heat in between his hands. Once the some was completely solid Ozai released the stolen heat in one forward thrust of his hands, supercharging his firebending into one large explosion. That attack demolished half of the dome and sent shrapnel across the bunker, spraying rock everywhere.

Right after the explosion Aang airbended as much wind as he could muster in the small space, hurling it all at Ozai. The wind hit Ozai head on and blew him into the remaining half of the rock dome, breaking it apart before Ozai slammed against the far wall. Aang charged in and earthbended the far wall, creating rock bonds that seized Ozai's arms and legs. Only Ozai's head and chest were left exposed, sealing the rest of him in rock.

Aang closed the distance between him and Ozai, getting up close for a finishing blow. He put one hand on Ozai's chest and pulled back a fist, about to use firebending to finish the Fire Lord. Ozai looked Aang in the eye, realizing that this was the end. Aang steadied himself and focused for firebending, telling himself that he had to kill.

But then Aang's fist dropped.

"I can't do it," Aang said, backing away from Ozai. Killing was an act that was against what he stood for, against what it meant to be an Air Nomad. "I can't kill him."

Sokka picked up a dropped spear and walked up to Aang. "Then _I_ will," Sokka said, and he plunged the spear into Ozai's chest.

There was a moment of silence as Fire Lord Ozai died, as Sokka's friends were shocked at him taking the matter out of Aang's hands. Sokka had no regrets, as Ozai had to die. It didn't matter to him who killed the Fire Lord, as long as it happened. Sokka believed they could just lie about who killed Ozai later, give the credit to Aang so that he might restore balance.

Suddenly a door in the bunker's side wall opened, prompting Sokka to let go of the spear and back away with Aang. On the other side of the opening door was Prince Zuko, along with a squad of soldiers. Zuko saw the spear in his father's chest, and that the throne was now vacant. He drew his swords and set them ablaze with firebending, and pointed one of them at Aang.

"Avatar Aang assassinated my father!" Zuko declared. His squad of soldiers assumed firebending stances. "Kill the Avatar!"

"Time to bail!" Sokka yelled.

"We can take them!" Toph yelled back.

"There's no time for that!" Suki yelled. "We need to get out of here."

All of the soldiers started throwing fire into the bunker, filling the air with flame. Aang earthbended as much loose rock he could find into a new wall, shielding himself and his friends from the fire. "Let's find Haru and get back to Appa."

* * *

><p>On the surface Haru was busy fending off Fire Nation soldiers by the dozen, back on the rampage in his cobblestone titan. When the eclipse had started Haru repaired his titan with new stone, replacing the arms that Azula had destroyed. During the eclipse the firebenders on the ground had fled, along with some of the nonbender soldiers. Haru saw Azula retreat into the palace, losing sight of her once she was inside its walls.<p>

By the time the eclipse was over the palace courtyard was completely empty, except for Haru in his titan. He made the titan walk back to the open gates so he could look at the city, checking for a quick escape route. Haru saw a road that was a straight line to the south, a perfect shortcut on the way back to Appa. But he also saw Fire Nation tanks driving through the city's roads, on course to trap him in the courtyard. Haru just needed to stay alive long enough for Toph's feet to find him.

As if on cue the ground next to the palace split apart, making room for a rising column of black volcanic rock. Haru saw Toph in the middle surrounded by the others, guessing that they had either succeeded or completely failed. Opening his jaw Haru let earthbend the stone covering most of his face, making it easier to talk.

"Did it work?" Haru asked.

"Yes," Sokka answered. "Now let's get going while the going's good."

Suki peeked through the open gates, seeing the danger up ahead. "Guys, we've got tanks headed our way."

"No problem," Toph said. She earthbended the volcanic rock she had used to reach the surface, covering herself in enough of it to create her twenty foot tall golem. Being made of volcanic rock made the golem black and spiky this time, contrasting with Haru's stone and smooth titan.

Together Haru and Toph charged through the open gates and towards the tanks, taking large strides that let them move faster than the tanks could drive. They ran right into the line of tanks, smashing the tanks directly in their way and tossing aside the tanks on the sides. More tanks kept coming, and soldiers inside them started shooting fire at Haru and Toph. The firebending only slowed them down, but Haru and Toph were in a hurry.

While blocking fire with one stone arm, Haru looked at Toph. "I think we should try that new trick you wanted to use," Haru suggested.

"Let's do it," Toph said. She made her golem's arms slam against the ground, supporting the weight while the legs earthbended into the torso. The hands turned into feet, the arms morphed into larger legs, and the torso became a bigger waist with Toph inside.

Haru made his titan jump above Toph, earthbending it into a new shape at the same time. The arms retracted into the torso, while the legs moved up to where the shoulders used to be. The feet became hands, the legs turned into larger arms, and the torso became a bigger chest with Haru inside. Haru's titan landed on top of Toph's golem, fusing together at the hip into a thirty-five foot tall goliath.

Towering over the tanks the goliath went to work, kicking them out of the way like small toys. Haru's head was inside a much larger stone helmet at the top of the goliath, now having a much better view of the city. Toph's feet saw everything within half a mile of the goliath, her sight amplified by huge vibrations the goliath made with each step. Both sent signals through the rock to coordinate their earthbending, and used it to make the goliath reach down to pick up a tank and throw it into tanks further down the road.

The few tanks that survived the goliath's rampage were dealt with by Aang and Katara, both using waterbending to attack the drivers through the holes used for firebending attacks. Sokka and Suki followed close behind, all four of them trying to keep up with the half-stone half-rock goliath. In minutes they all reached the southern end of the caldera, where the goliath was tall enough to reach up and grab onto the caldera's rim.

One at a time they climbed up the goliath, with Aang going first to earthbend hand and footholds for the others. When all four of them were out of the city they saw the goliath climb out as well, taking a couple of minutes due to its size. Once the goliath was out of the caldera it appeared to be a cakewalk to reach Appa, but then they all heard a distinctive sound.

They heard the roar of a sky bison.

"Appa?" Aang questioned, looking for his sky bison in the southern sky. But the roar hadn't come from the south, but from the northeast.

"Um… Aang?" Katara muttered, staring at the northeastern sky.

When Aang turned to the northeast he heard another roar, followed by another and another. "No… Oh Spirits No!"

A dozen sky bison were in the air flying towards the capital, each a brand new metal saddle bearing the Fire Nation insignia. These sky bison were a slightly different breed than Appa, having more curves in their horns and extra points along the colored fur that resembled an arrow. In the saddles of these sky bison were firebenders, and the lead sky bison carried the princess's two best friends.

From the air Mai looked down at the capital, noticing the earthbended goliath on the rim of the caldera. "There," Mai said, pointed at the goliath. "Attack."

Next to Mai and holding onto a set of reins, Ty Lee steered her sky bison towards the caldera. "Anya, yip yip."

On the ground Suki was the first to snap out of the shock of seeing the Fire Nation with sky bison. "Run!"

Haru and Toph each got the same idea for getting to Appa in a hurry, signaling to each other what earthbending they had in mind. The goliath made a small jump and was earthbended into a new shape, its legs fusing together into a plow and its arm merging with the chest into a sled. The others jumped onto the sled portion as the whole thing hit the ground, before it started sliding down the steep side of the volcano.

Sliding down the volcano only took a few minutes, impeded by a few barricades ringing the slopes. Toph's volcanic plow broke through the barricades in the way, while Haru's stone sled shielded the others from flying debris. When they reached the bottom Toph and Haru earthbended their stone back into the goliath shape, which put Suki and Sokka on the goliath's left shoulder while Aang and Katara ended up on the right shoulder.

A small hole opened in the goliath's hip, revealing Toph's mouth. "What's going on up there?" Toph asked, having no idea what had everyone else so worried.

"Sky bison, _plural_," Sokka yelled down.

"Ah, that's bad," Toph said, and she refocused her efforts on making the goliath run south.

There were Fire Nation soldiers and tanks on the terrain between the goliath and the southern coastline, but no one on the goliath bothered to fight them. The goliath's size and long strides let it run faster than firebenders could anticipate, and it got in and out of firebending range too quickly for the firebenders to target the passengers. In just a few minutes the goliath crossed the distance between the volcano and the southern coast, getting there while the sky bison were still over the base of the volcano.

When the goliath reached the coast Toph made her half sink into the ground, bringing her friends low enough for them to jump off and safely land on the ground. After his friends were off Haru shed his half of the goliath, having no more use for it. Toph got herself back out of the ground while leaving her half of the goliath in the ground, as it was now dead weight.

"Toph, where's Appa?" Aang asked, remembering that they had left Appa underground.

"Over there," Toph said, pointing towards the ground a dozen feet to the west. She ran over to the spot and stopped a few feet from the edge of the cliffs. Toph stomped her foot on the ground to earthbend wide cracks in the rock, making it break apart in a wide landslide.

As the rock fell into the sea it exposed the tunnel they had used to infiltrate the island, where Appa had been waiting the entire time. Immediately Appa flew out of the tunnel into open air, racing for the sky after being confined for so long. Once he ascended beyond the top of the cliff Appa saw Aang and the others, and he landed to pick them up.

Everyone climbed into Appa saddle, while Aang took the reins. "Appa, yip yip, yip yip as hard as you can yip!"

Appa took off with surprising speed, soaring into the sky like a rocket. At first he flew to the east, the direction that Aang wanted him to go. But then Appa saw and heard the other sky bison in the air, a sight and sound that he hadn't seen or heard since before getting frozen for a century. Appa instinctively turned towards the other sky bison, missing the companionship of his own kind.

"No Appa, don't go that way!" Aang yelled. He pulled on the reins harder, but Appa kept flying where he wanted to go.

From the other sky bison Mai saw Appa's approach, wondering what clever plan the Avatar was trying to pull off. "He's either really smart or really stupid," Mai commented. With a hand signal she ordered the firebenders on the other bison to attack, and they answered the order with a barrage of fireballs.

The firebending barrage convinced Appa to veer off his course, heading for a lower altitude. The other sky bison didn't care that a sky bison was being attacked, as Appa was not a member of their herd. Appa swerved back and forth in the air, avoiding most of the fireballs aimed at him. A few of them would have hit, if Aang hadn't let go of the reins and blocked the fireballs with airbending.

"Take the reins!" Aang yelled, not caring which of his friends took them. He focused on blocking or diverting enemy firebending, using both air and fire to do it.

Suki took hold of Appa's reins and pulled on them, trying to make Appa go east. This time Appa complied, understanding that the other sky bison were hostile. Appa twisted and turned in the air to avoid more firebending, even as the other sky bison started to encircle him. But Appa slipped out of the firebending barrage, and started to put some distance between him and the other sky bison.

Watching Appa get smaller with distance, Mai glanced at Ty Lee. "They're getting away. Make this bison go faster."

"She's tired," Ty Lee said, patting Anya's head. "We've been flying for days, their bison looks rested."

Mai clenched a fist for a moment, knowing that Zuko and Azula would not be happy about this. "Let them go, we can't risk the bison falling asleep in the air."

From Appa's saddle Katara saw the other sky bison stop in midair and turn around. "They're not following us."

"Good," Haru said, watching the other bison descend towards the palace.

"But where did they come from?" Sokka asked. He turned towards Aang, who had just sat down in the saddle. "I thought Appa was the only sky bison left."

"That we knew of," Aang muttered.

"Aang, is there something you're not telling us?" Suki asked, currently steering Appa over the sea around the island.

Aang looked away from his friends, not wanting to admit his fears. But he owed his friends an explanation. "It's… _possible_, that the Fire Nation missed the wild sky bison a hundred years ago," Aang admitted. "But I don't know how they could have found them now."

* * *

><p>One at a time the sky bison landed right outside the palace's front doors, allowing Mai and Ty Lee to jump off Anya onto the ground. Soldiers reclaiming the area were hesitant around the beasts, even if they had the Fire Nation insignia. Several sky bison went to sleep after landing, exhausted from their journey all the way from wilderness near the Northern Air Temple.<p>

The palace's front doors opened and Princess Azula walked outside, smiling at the sight of Fire Nation sky bison. Azula walked until she saw her friends, stopping next to Mai and Ty Lee. "Excellent work," Azula said.

"They were right where those texts said they'd be," Mai said.

"And friendly enough," Ty Lee added.

Azula took a glance upward to see Appa as a white speck on the blue sky, but that didn't matter. "It seems that Air Nomad Aang served the Fire Nation well."

"I'm sure your dad will be pleased," Ty Lee said.

As if on cue a bearer of bad news arrived, which was a Fire Sage slowly walking out of the palace. His somber expression killed the victorious mood Azula was in, which only got worse when the Sage spoke. "Princess, I'm sorry. Fire Lord Ozai is dead."

Silence echoed in the palace courtyard, as no one dared to speak before Azula could take in the bad news. Nearly everyone expected her to kill the messenger on the spot, including the Sage. Instead she took slow steps towards the palace, not letting any emotion show. "I want to be alone right now," Azula whispered as she walked past the sage.

When Azula crossed through the open doorway she saw Zuko walking the other way, neither of them looked each other in the eye. But Azula did notice that Zuko was carrying their father's crown, the simple flame shaped metal headpiece. Azula stopped just inside the palace and listened, hearing her brother stop walking just outside. And then she heard the Sage speak to everyone outside.

"All Hail Fire Lord Zuko."


	36. The New Fire Lord

Chapter 35: The New Fire Lord

At a Fire Sage temple in the capital city, not far from the palace, a funeral was taking place. The ancient building possessed grand stone steps leading up to the temple entrance, and at the top of those steps was a golden funeral pyre. At the bottom of the steps were the capital's nobles and citizenry, organized in rows while wearing red robes and holding red banners. Around the pyre were the temple's sages, all wearing white robes except for the eldest sage, who wore red robes. And standing with the sages were the last two legitimate heirs to the throne, Zuko and Azula wearing white robes.

The eldest sage stood in front of the golden pyre, and delivered the eulogy. "Ozai, Fire Lord to our nation for five years. You were our leader during the fall of capitals, water and earth alike. You were father of Zuko and Azula." The sage turned towards the pyre and picked up the Fire Lord's crown, while a pair of younger sages firebended into the pyre to set it ablaze. "We lay you to rest. And now, you are succeeded by your only son."

On cue Zuko walked up to the eldest sage, and then kneeled between him and the steps with the pyre to his back. He remained there long enough for the sage to place the crown in his topknot.

"Hail Fire Lord Zuko."

Fire Lord Zuko stood up, while everyone else knelt before him. He basked in the moment, officially ascending to the throne. He also took pleasure in seeing Azula kneeling like everyone else, even if it was only a formality. Zuko expected that his sister would resist his rule in one manner or another, but she was still more valuable alongside him than against him.

But while she knelt Azula's thoughts turned to the day her father had died. It seemed all too convenient for her brother, their father's death allowing him to take the throne weeks before the return of Sozin's Comet. Whoever led the Fire Nation then would get all of the glory from the coming triumph, regardless of who deserved it. But Azula kept her mouth shut, as such thoughts were not wise to make public.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Aang and his friends were on an island in the middle of the Fire Nation, making camp in the wilderness and trying to avoid attention. The island was just a rest stop for them, as Aang wanted to fly towards the Western Air Temple and hide there. While they were there Sokka and Haru walked to the nearest town, using the time they had to purchase new supplies. The others were sitting around a small campfire, waiting for Sokka and Haru to return.<p>

Poking at the fire with a stick, Aang looked at his friends. "So what do we do now?"

"What's left to do?" Suki asked. "We won, right?"

"Doesn't feel like we did," Aang said.

"I know," Toph muttered. Even though she couldn't see the fire its warmth drew her unfocused eyes, making it look like she was staring into the flames. "We whacked some guy we'd never met before, and now the Fire Nation has sky bison. If anything it feels like we've gone backwards."

"Give it time," Katara suggested. "I'm sure that having no Fire Lord is causing all sorts of problems for the Fire Nation.

That moment Sokka and Haru returned to the camp, both having somber looks on their faces. "We have a problem," Sokka informed.

"What now?" Suki asked.

"See for yourself," Haru answered, holding up a rolled leaflet. He handed it over to Suki, unable to make himself say it to the others

"Have no fear, citizens of the Fire Nation," Suki read aloud. "Though Fire Lord Ozai has departed this world, his legacy lives on. Rejoice as a new leader takes command, so that the world may tremble when the Comet returns. The line of Sozin continues with his great-grandson, Fire Lord Zuko."

No one spoke when Suki finished, all of them speechless at this revelation. Only the sounds of the fire were heard in the camp, the only barrier to dreadful silence. Suki crumpled up the leaflet and threw it into the fire, but burning the bad news could not make it go away. Its words still echoed in the minds of everyone present, mocking all of the effort they had made to accomplish their goal.

Aang was the only one to say anything. "We failed."

* * *

><p>After the funeral and her brother's coronation, Azula went to her room in the palace. Inside her large closet she replaced the ceremonial white robes with her usual attire, preferring the dark red color and the more comfortable clothes. When she was finished Azula turned to her dresser with a mirror mounted on it, taking a few minutes to fix her hair. Azula opened a dresser drawer and reached inside for a hand mirror, where her hand felt something that hadn't been there yesterday.<p>

Azula removed the item that shouldn't be in her drawer, holding a folded piece of parchment in her hand. "How does he do that?" Azula muttered, suspecting who put the parchment there. She unfolded the parchment and read a message written on it, recognizing the handwriting. "Uncle."

_Do not trust your brother._

"I already knew that," Azula muttered, burning up the parchment in one hand. Part of her wondered who Iroh had to bribe to get a message into the palace, while another part wondered _why_ Iroh would send a message. They had last met on unfriendly terms several months ago, making it all the more suspicious that Iroh would contact her now.

Just outside Azula's room a servant was walking past the door, and she was surprised when Azula opened the door. "Princess, is there anything you require?"

"Bring me Ty Lee," Azula ordered.

"Of course Princess," the servant said, bowing before leaving to carry out the order.

Azula went back into her room and waited for her friend to arrive, thinking about Iroh's message. It was clear that Iroh had contacts within the palace, having needed at least one to get that message to her. Azula suspected that Iroh knew exactly what was going on in the Fire Nation, even while in exile. He had to know that she didn't trust Zuko anyway, but maybe Iroh was trying to tell her to be extra suspicious.

The door opened from outside and Ty Lee walked in, seeing Azula standing in the middle of her room. "You called," Ty Lee said, closing the door behind her.

"I need a favor," Azula said.

"Anything," Ty Lee said.

* * *

><p>After setting affairs in order with the palace staff Zuko entered his throne room, closing the doors behind him for some privacy. Inside he paced around the throne room and observed the décor, believing that some changes were in order. In particular the elaborate wall of flame Ozai preferred had to go, as it wouldn't do to have his face hidden from those that received an audience from him. He also considered updating the throne to fit his size and putting up a few tapestries on the walls, something to add a little variety.<p>

Zuko sat down in his throne and studied the view, mentally picturing where visitors would be standing and how they might see him. The throne was elevated from where visitors would be, which made Zuko think about putting something above him on the wall behind the throne. The obvious choice was a painting or carving of Sozin's Comet, as that would clearly define his reign. The Comet's return was less than a month away and would be the first big event for him, and if his lifespan was similar to his grandfather or great-grandfather's lives Zuko's reign could end with Sozin's Comet a hundred years later.

When finished with examining the décor Zuko left the throne room, walking to another part of the palace. He returned to his old bedroom that he had grown up using, where all of his personal belongings had been kept. Servants were coming and going through the bedroom doors, busy moving everything inside to the new bedroom Zuko would use as Fire Lord. By the time Zuko entered the bedroom only a dresser and a large bed were still inside next to a window, along with his girlfriend.

"Hey Mai," Zuko said as he walked inside. With a look he ordered the servants to vacate the bedroom, leaving Zuko and Mai alone when the last servant closed the door. "You know, I'm going to miss this room."

"It did have that princely charm," Mai said. She looked out the window and took in the view of the capital one last time. "But the Fire Lord deserves the master bedroom."

"That's going to feel weird," Zuko said. "It was my father's room a few days ago."

"At least your mother never lived in it," Mai said. She smiled as she turned the conversation to a matter that she was interested in. "By the way, when do I get to become Fire Lady?"

Zuko chuckled at that question. "A little eager are we?"

"Just curious," Mai added.

"Well it can't be right away," Zuko answered. He put one hand on his chin and paced around the bedroom, planning part of their future. "I'm thinking… two years after the Comet. Perhaps we could hold the ceremony on the anniversary?"

"Works for me," Mai said. She sat down on the bed still in the room, patting a spot next to her for Zuko to join her. "You're taking your ascension very well, given the circumstances."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zuko asked, sitting down next to Mai.

"I figured you'd be in a more vengeful mood, after the Avatar killed your old man," Mai admitted.

Zuko stood up and walked over to the window, checking outside to the left, right, and down for eavesdroppers despite being several dozen feet above the ground. And then he shut the window, just to be sure. "My old man was a fool."

"Harsh," Mai said.

"It's true," Zuko said, walking back to the bed and sitting back down. "He had no military sense. Wasting over half of the treasury on the giant drill when Sozin's Comet would let us break down Ba Sing Se's wall anyway, letting the Avatar roam freely instead of hunting him with a whole legion, kicking out uncle over some white lotus affair, those are the mistakes a leader makes when he's never been in the military."

"So you think you can do a better job?" Mai asked.

"I know I can," Zuko corrected. "I've already crippled the Water Tribe, Ba Sing Se is ripe for the taking, and the rest of the Earth Kingdom will be easy after the Comet softens it up."

"And the Avatar?" Mai asked.

"When he shows up again, I'm going straight for the kill shot," Zuko answered, holding up two fingers as if to shoot lightning. "I'm done with letting him live."

"You have to admit, he was useful for a while," Mai said. She glanced out the window to see a sky bison flying by in the distance, bearing the Fire Nation insignia on its metal saddle. "We'd have never found those sky bison without him."

"Again, my idea to use him," Zuko said. "But after what happened during the eclipse, he's not worth keeping alive anymore."

Mai hesitated to speak again, realizing something after what Zuko had just mentioned. She just remembered that Zuko was supposed to have delayed any assassins during the eclipse, a task that had clearly failed. "Did you… let him reach your old man?"

Zuko didn't answer.

"Oh," Mai muttered, taking Zuko's silence as a yes.

"Not… One… Word…" Zuko ordered.

Mai nodded, understanding that her realization could never be spoken aloud.

But just outside and above the window, hanging upside down with her feet holding onto a ledge, Ty Lee overheard the entire conversation. She was listening through a narrow slit where the bedroom's wall met the ceiling, unnoticeable when viewed from below. Ty Lee was holding onto her braid to keep it from dropping to the bedroom window, keeping herself hidden from anyone inside. Zuko and Mai never noticed that Ty Lee was there.

Just like Azula wanted.

* * *

><p>In the air Appa was flying northeast, heading into territory that the Fire Nation wasn't interested in colonizing. There was a large island beyond the northern border, one that was at a higher elevation than most islands in the Fire Nation. In times gone by this island belonged to the Air Nomads, left abandoned after they were gone. Some within the Fire Nation believed that the ghosts of airbenders haunted their former home to this day, scaring away those that might settle in the Western Air Temple.<p>

In the middle of the island was a large canyon, so deep that a perpetual fog shrouded the bottom. Appa flew straight into the canyon and dived, setting a course just above the fog. There Aang and the others in the saddle saw the underside of a massive ledge at the top of the canyon wall, where dozens of structures hung below the rock. Appa flew towards the closest structure and landed on an open platform, arriving at the temple.

"So this is the Western Air Temple?" Sokka said, taking in the view of upside down buildings. All of the open space he saw made it seem likely for someone to fall to their death. "Looks like whoever built this place assumed people could fly."

"Just watch where you step," Suki suggested.

One at a time everyone climbed off Appa and walked into the temple, stopping in an area meant as a gathering space. There they set up camp once again, suspecting that they might be staying for a while. Once the tents were up and supplied spread out Katara made a simple meal of soup and rice, keeping the portions small to conserve what they had. They all sat around a fire eating in silence, only interrupted by the wind.

While he was eating Haru spoke up, feeling the need to get something off his chest. "How are we going to stop the Fire Nation now?"

"I don't know," Aang admitted.

"There must be something we can do," Haru said. "I mean, you're the Avatar. There has to be something-"

"There isn't!" Aang yelled, tossing his food aside while standing up. "Sozin's Comet is nearly here, and I don't know what to do!"

"Didn't Roku tell you what to do way back?" Suki asked.

"Yeah, defeat the Fire Lord before the Comet comes," Aang answered. "But that didn't work! The war is still on and we're running out of time!"

"What's the big deal about a comet?" Toph asked. "Is it on a collision course or something?"

"It gives firebenders a power boost while it passes by," Haru answered.

"So it's the opposite of a solar eclipse?" Toph summarized. "How long does it last? Maybe we can make them waste it?"

"We don't know how long," Suki said.

"But Toph does have a point," Sokka said. He stood up and started pacing around the camp, letting his thoughts run from one idea to the next. "Every minute we make the Fire Nation focus on us is another minute they can't burn stuff."

Katara raised one eyebrow at Sokka's suggestion. "You want us to pull off the biggest distraction in history?"

"Pretty much," Sokka answered.

"That won't stop the war," Aang said.

"It doesn't have to," Sokka reasoned. "If we can't stop the Fire Nation we can at least slow it down. We can worry about ending the war after the comet of doom is gone."

"Works for me," Toph said.

"But how are we going to distract an entire army?" Suki asked. "They'd only need a dozen or so powered-up firebenders to keep us busy. Or even just that blue fire princess of theirs if she's leading the charge."

"Good point," Sokka said, stopping his pacing and putting one hand on his chin. "You know, for someone that you say has unique bending, I still haven't seen her."

* * *

><p>Azula was in the palace's training hall practicing her firebending, shooting blue flames at a dozen firebenders that surrounded her. The current exercise was to firebend whenever a firebender lit flames in their hand, testing Azula's reflexes, speed, and aim. When Azula would firebend at the correct person that firebender expanded their fire into a shield, catching Azula's blue flames and dispersing them harmlessly. The firebenders were constantly in motion around Azula and making their flames in changing patterns, requiring Azula to be fluid with her bending to hit ever changing targets.<p>

For fifteen minutes Azula threw fire at the targets all around her, which gradually increased the difficulty every minute. The firebenders started lighting signal flames two at a time so that Azula had to bend with both fists, sometimes in the same direction but other times on her left and right sides. Then they started making three and four at a time, prompting Azula to firebend faster to keep up. Five and six at a time followed, increasing Azula's pace and making a flurry of blue fire all around her. Even more firebenders lit signal flames at once, resulting in blue fire being thrown in nearly every direction.

All twelve firebenders lit signal flames at once, too many for Azula to hit with blue fireblasts. Instead she swept her leg in a complete circle to spread blue flames all around her, and then stuck both arms out to bend that fire away from herself. A growing ring of blue fire rushed towards all twelve firebenders, prompting them to simultaneously make fire shields to catch the blue flames. Force from the blue flames against the fire shields pushed back the firebenders, making all of them halt once the flames had dispersed.

Slightly out of breath and sweating in the heat, Azula took a moment to fix her hair. "That will be all," she said, dismissing the firebenders.

The firebenders all bowed and then walked out of the training hall in single file, leaving Azula to practice alone. Once they were all gone Azula walked over to a towel rack and picked up a small cloth, using it to wipe sweat off her face. Azula threw the sweat-soaked cloth into a hamper for a servant to collect later, and then she walked back to the center of the training hall for more practice. But then she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," Azula ordered.

A door opened and Ty Lee walked inside, having an unusually serious expression for her. She kept glancing in every direction, as if expecting someone to catch her doing something wrong. "We need to talk," Ty Lee whispered.

"Okay, talk," Azula said, crossing her arms.

"Not here," Ty Lee whispered, still glancing in several directions. "We should take Anya for a ride."

"I see," Azula whispered, understanding the need for absolute privacy.

Together Azula and Ty Lee left the training hall, walking to the front doors of the palace. Once they were outside they found a palanquin, complete with bearers ready to take royalty wherever they needed to go. On the palanquin Azula and Ty Lee traveled to the capital city's warehouse district on the northern side, in particular one warehouse that was over fifty feet long and half as high. It was the only building in the city with enough open space to be hastily converted into a sky bison stable.

When they arrived at the warehouse Azula and Ty Lee exited the palanquin, and before entering the warehouse Azula turned to the palanquin bearers. "We're going to be a while," Azula said. "Take the rest of the day off."

"Yes princess," the bearers said in unison.

At one end of the warehouse were a set of sliding doors large enough for several kimono-rhinos to pass through at once, though Ty Lee only slid them open just wide enough for her and Azula to enter. On the other side they saw the improvised sky bison stable, finding makeshift pens along one wall and seeing several sky bison either resting or flying around the open space above. One sky bison in particular drew Ty Lee's attention, and she walked to where it was munching on hay mixed with cabbage.

"Hey girl," Ty Lee said when she was up close. On sight the sky bison stopped eating and nearly pounced on Ty Lee, licking her face with a large tongue. "Did you miss me?"

The female sky bison roared in delight.

"Looks like I've met your new best friend," Azula said.

"Anya could never replace you," Ty Lee reassured. She climbed into Anya's metal saddle while Azula followed, and when they were both on the bison Ty Lee took the reins. "Anya, yip yip."

If Azula hadn't ridden a sky bison before, she would have yelled when Anya took off and flew straight up. Anya flew through a newly added hole in the warehouse ceiling, soaring into open sky. Ty Lee guided the flight higher above the capital, claiming a section of the sky for Anya to wander inside. There it was just Ty Lee, Azula and Anya, and the last one could not reveal any human secrets.

"Okay Ty Lee, what did you find?" Azula asked.

Comfortable in the complete privacy of being isolated in the sky, Ty Lee let go of Anya's reins and turned towards Azula. "Well, I eavesdropped on Zuko like you asked."

"And…?" Azula said.

Ty Lee hesitated to continue, certain that Azula would not like what she had to report. "Zuko… let the Avatar kill your dad."

The report made Azula's eyes widen in shock. "Are you certain?"

"He didn't admit it to Mai, but he didn't deny it either," Ty Lee said.

"I see," Azula muttered. She looked away and thought about the revelation, in particular about Zuko's treachery. Before now she hadn't believed that Zuko had it in him, believing that Zuko was too loyal to betray his own father. Then again, everyone had believed that Ozai had been loyal to Azulon as well, before that Fire Lord's sudden demise. "Like father like son."

"What are you going to do?" Ty Lee asked.

"Let me think," Azula ordered. She thought about revealing Zuko's treachery to dethrone him and take power for herself, but without any proof that action would only give Zuko an excuse to exile her or worse. And Zuko's growing ambition made it possible that he would get rid of Azula eventually, just to eliminate a potential threat to his power. Azula did have a plan to take the throne in mind, but she had wanted to wait a few years for a more favorable political environment.

After thinking for what felt like a long time, Azula decided that she could not afford to wait. "Take this bison east."

"Where are we going?" Ty Lee asked, taking the reins while she spoke.

"You'll see," Azula promised.

* * *

><p>Early on the following morning Aang was the first to wake up, and he decided to wander around the Western Air Temple alone. With his glider Aang flew to another upside down building further along the cliff's ledge, landing on what appeared to be a shrine. There were statues of various nuns that once lived here, ones that had done great things for the Air Nomads. Aang wondered what any of them would do if they were alive today, but there was no way to know.<p>

A distant roar caught Aang's attention, and he turned just in time to see a sky bison pass behind a distant building. He started running towards it to find out if it was a potential threat, using airbending to make long leaps from one building to another. Aang stopped when he was just a few buildings away, close enough to see the Fire Nation insignia on the new bison's metal saddle. There was a girl in pink clothes walking away from the bison towards Aang, who spotted Aang when she was a dozen feet away.

Ty Lee smiled and waved. "Hi Aang."

Aang blinked twice. "Have we met?"


	37. The Gathering

Chapter 36: The Gathering

"You don't remember me?" Ty Lee asked.

Ty Lee stood between her sky bison Anya and Aang, who appeared puzzled that she knew his name. Meanwhile Azula had climbed down the opposite side of Anya, hidden from Aang's view. Azula remained hidden while she heard Ty Lee speaking with Aang, counting on Ty Lee to make a good impression. Both girls had wished that Aang still had the good memories of the time spent with Ty Lee, but it was painfully clear that he did not.

"I've never seen you before in my life," Aang said.

Though disappointed by Aang's reaction, Ty Lee kept an appealing smile on her face. "Oh well, we can get to know each other all over again."

"Again?" Aang questioned. That's when Aang thought about the month long gap in his memory. "Wait, when did you say we met?"

"I didn't," Ty Lee answered. "But it was a little over a month and a half ago."

A little bit of math was enough to tell Aang that she could be right, since the time lined up with his memory loss. "Alright, refresh my memory. Who are you?"

"My name is Ty Lee," she answered. "And it's good to see you again."

"Wish I could say the same," Aang said.

Ty Lee walked over to where Aang was standing, and she offered one hand to him. "Can we try to be friends, please?"

Aang refused the handshake, while his gaze moved back and forth between Ty Lee and the sky bison with the Fire Nation insignia. "Do I look that gullible?"

"Yes, yes you do."

That voice got Aang's attention, and he saw Azula stepping out from behind the sky bison. "Azula!" Aang cursed, immediately moving into an airbending stance.

"Ty Lee," Azula said, giving an order planned in advance.

Immediately Ty Lee attacked Aang, hitting several pressure points on his arms with her fingers. Aang's arms went completely limp after they were hit, and he could not feel anything from his arms. Then Ty Lee swept one leg into Aang's feet, tripping him before striking the pressure points in his legs. Aang fell onto his back, completely helpless with all his limbs unable to move.

At first Aang was speechless, until he heard Azula walking towards him. "What just happened?" Aang demanded.

"Pressure points," Azula answered, stopping right next to Aang. "Hitting them is the perfect way to stop a bender."

"You're not going to get away with this," Aang said, believing that Azula was going to kill him.

"Get away?" Azula said. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Wait, what?" Aang said.

"I really don't want to repeat myself," Azula said, crouching next to Aang. "So we're going to wait right here until your friends come looking for you."

* * *

><p>"You want us to do <em>WHAT!?<em>" Katara yelled.

Katara, Suki, and Haru were staring down Azula and Ty Lee, alarmed to discover that their hiding place had been found so soon. Suki was holding Aang on his feet while his limbs were recovering, being able to stand now but having trouble keeping his balance. Though they outnumbered the enemy two to one, Katara wished that Sokka and Toph were with them to even the odds. When Aang hadn't been in the camp that morning they'd split into two groups to find him, a decision that Katara knew was a mistake.

"You heard me," Azula said, crossing her arms. "I want you to agree to a truce."

"What makes you think we'll take that seriously?" Katara asked.

"Because it's in your best interest," Azula answered.

"I don't see how that's possible," Suki said.

"Me neither," Haru said. "You've been attacking us since I joined this little gang."

"True, and I don't blame you for having your doubts," Azula said. "But thanks to all of you, I find myself unable to loyally serve the Fire Lord."

"You have a problem with the new Fire Lord?" Katara asked.

"He's my brother, of course I have a problem with him in charge," Azula answered. "You see, I've always wanted to become Fire Lord one day. Having Zuko on the throne during Sozin's Comet is going to make that nearly impossible."

Katara crossed her arms. "Like having you on the throne would make things any different for us."

"If you refuse my offer, that would be true," Azula said. "But right now there is a small window of opportunity where our goals align."

"How so?" Suki asked.

"Neither of us wants Zuko's plans for the Comet to succeed," Azula answered. "Stopping him there is your only chance to end the war, and it is my only chance to make his rule a failure."

"And what exactly is he planning to do?" Aang asked.

"Burn everything east of the colonies," Azula answered. She paused to see the stunned looks on everyone's faces, before amending her answer. "Well, until the Comet leaves anyway."

"How?" Aang demanded. "How can he possibly do that, even with the Comet?"

"With those sky bison you generously provided," Azula answered. She enjoyed the look of horror on Aang's face, but kept herself from smiling. "You don't remember? Zuko had you deciphering Air Nomad texts, which led to the discovery of formerly wild sky bison."

"Like Anya here," Ty Lee added, patting the head of her bison.

Azula nodded. "From the air Zuko and his most elite firbenders can continuously burn Earth Kingdom land without being blocked by the resulting wildfires. And he'll keep burning until all of it is gone, or until the Comet leaves, whichever happens first."

"That's insane!" Katara yelled. "He'll ruin the land he's trying to take."

"He'll ruin _Earth Kingdom_ land," Azula specified. "A few decades afterwards new life will replace what's burned away, and under Zuko's rule it will all resemble _Fire Nation_ land. I'm sure that's something you don't want to see happen."

There was a pause as everyone took in Azula's words, realizing that things were far worse than they imagined before. Aang was the first to break the silence. "Alright, even if we stop Zuko and make you Fire Lord, what's going to stop you from continuing the war?"

"Politics," Azula answered. "You might not realize this, but the potential victory Sozin's Comet offers is the only thing keeping public support in favor of the war. If it fails to make any progress my people will believe that the hundred years of fighting have been wasted, and they will demand that we bring our soldiers home now."

"I thought the Fire Lord dictated everything?" Haru said. "Since when does he or she have to listen to the people?"

"Rulers that ignore the people are asking to be overthrown," Azula said. She waved one hand towards the east. "You saw that firsthand in Ba Sing Se."

"She has a point there," Suki said.

"I won't argue that," Katara conceded. She paused to consider Azula's proposal, until one problem came to mind. "Even if we agree to work together, how do we know you won't stab us in the back?"

Azula smiled as she gave her answer. "I suppose you don't."

Having expected an elaborate lie, Katara was surprised by the brutal honesty. It told her that Azula expected them to keep their guard up around her, and to not treat any potential alliance as a permanent deal. And Katara also speculated that Azula expected them to break an alliance just as quickly as she would, whenever one side could find an opportunity to benefit from betraying the other. That risk was one that Katara didn't want to take without having everyone present in the decision.

Aang had a similar train of thought. "Alright we'll consider your offer. But we need to wait for Toph and Sokka first."

One eyebrow rose when Azula recognized one name, remembering it from Ba Sing Se. "Oh right, forgot about him."

As if on cue Sokka arrived with Toph behind him, approaching from a walkway to Azula's right. Sokka saw his sister and friends first, and he waved at them before walking towards them. "Figures you guys would find him first."

"And they found company," Toph added, tugging on Sokka's sleeve and pointing to where she felt Azula and Ty Lee's presence.

Sokka looked to his left and saw Azula and Ty Lee. "Oh hey Li Mei," Sokka said. "How'd you get here?"

"You've met?" Suki asked.

"When?" Haru asked.

"How?" Katara asked.

"Why'd you call her that?" Aang asked.

"Hey it's that masked girl, but without the mask," Toph said.

"Who's the cutie?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula sighed and turned her head away from Ty Lee. "Here we go again…"

The various reactions surprised Sokka at first, until he looked at Azula with a more critical eye. In particular her Fire Nation outfit got his attention, red clothes with black armor and a flame shaped headpiece in her topknot. And then there was the second sky bison behind her and the other girl, bearing a saddle with the Fire Nation insignia. All of the pieces fell into place in Sokka's mind, and he planted his face in one hand and groaned.

"How did I not see this coming?" Sokka muttered. He removed his hand from his face. "Alright, what's your real name?"

"Azula," she answered.

"She's the new Fire Lord's sister," Katara added.

Toph nudged Sokka's arm with her elbow. "You sure can pick 'em."

Sokka groaned about as loud as he could. "So I've had a face to face conversation with a member of Fire Nation royalty… _twice_."

"Twice?" Suki echoed.

"I was wondering if you'd met Zuko before," Azula admitted.

"It was before I met you," Sokka admitted.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Suki asked. "Sokka, Toph, this princess actually wants to work with us to ruin her brother's big day with the Comet."

"Okay," Toph said.

"Really, just _okay_?" Azula asked. "You're not even going to question my motives?"

"Don't get me wrong, I don't trust you," Toph said. "But we need as much help as we can get."

"Fair enough," Azula said. She focused her sight on Sokka. "What do you think?"

Sokka took a moment to think, and right away he knew the critical question to ask. "What happens if we say no?"

Azula smirked before answering. "Ty Lee and I fly back home, inform the new sky bison fleet of your location, and bring it back here to kill you all."

That answer was all the convincing Sokka needed. "Okay then, I think that settles it."

"When you put it that way," Aang added. "I guess we don't have much of a choice."

Katara sighed, then glared at Azula. "Fine, we'll work together. But we'll be watching you every step of the way."

That's when Azula smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

><p>Even with the new alliance formed, eight teenagers would not be enough to stop Zuko's army during the comet. The obvious answer to that was to form an army of their own, which would fight the majority of enemy forces so that Aang could focus on fighting Zuko. They would require every last friend and ally they had all made since the start of their journeys, just to have a chance at success.<p>

With less than two weeks left before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, speed was of the essence. Having two sky bison at their disposal helped to remedy that disadvantage, allowing them to split up and cover ground more efficiently. Appa carried Aang, Haru, Toph, and Azula, heading straight east towards the Earth Kingdom. Anya carried Ty Lee, Sokka, Katara, and Suki, heading southeast for a quick stop in the Fire Nation.

That quick stop was on an island on one of the eastern islands, a port island that also housed an impressive mansion. That mansion was ignored when Sokka insisted on stopping at the port, seeing a familiar ship docked in the harbor. Anya landed right on the deck of the ship, startling the pirates unloading cargo. Right away Sokka found the pirate captain with his pet bird, and right away Sokka explained to him what they needed.

"Alright, you helped me, I'll help you," the pirate captain said, signing up to fight.

X

Meanwhile the first stop for Appa was in the Earth Kingdom, after running the Fire Nation blockade in the middle of the night. Haru recognized a stretch of coastline as territory near his home village, which he hoped still belonged to earthbender rebels. They changed course to reach Haru's home, finding that it remained liberated. The local villagers cheered when they saw Appa, and among the first to approach was Haru's father. Tyro was especially glad to see his son alive and well, and eagerly listened when Haru asked for help.

"Of course I'll help," Tyro assured. Nearby more earthbenders among the villagers nodded in agreement. "We'll all help."

X

A few days after Anya's first stop she also flew past the Fire Nation blockade, being able to do so during the day without any trouble, courtesy of the Fire Nation insignia on the metal saddle. Anya flew through the skies of the southwestern Earth Kingdom, and Katara asked Ty Lee to guide the bison to the Foggy Swamp. Time had improved the health of the swamp since Katara saw it last, seeing many green saplings poking through blackened ground.

Upon landing in the swamp they were greeted by the local swampbenders, whose existence surprised Ty Lee. "There are waterbenders here?"

"We were surprised too," Katara answered. She saw her teacher among the locals, and jumped onto the ground to greet him. "Hey Huu, how've you been."

"Peaceful, as we should be," Huu answered. "Have you returned for more lessons?"

"So this is the guy that taught you waterbending," Sokka said, following Katara off Anya. "If I'd known waterbenders were here it would have saved me a lot of trouble."

"You couldn't have known," Katara said. She turned her attention back to Huu, and took the time to explain the situation and ask for his people's help.

As the swamp would be in the path of destruction, Huu's choice was a simple one. "You have our help."

X

Next on Appa's flight path was a remote area in the northern Earth Kingdom, flying over vast forests near the front lines of the war. There Azula hoped to find a specific individual, one whose aid would be invaluable when the Comet arrived. The information she had was from several weeks ago, leaving open the possibility that the person she wanted was long gone. But from the air it was easier to locate camps set up to hide from ground based search parties, finding one such camp nestled in a tiny meadow surrounded by thick vegetation.

"There," Azula said, pointing at the camp. "That's got to be it."

Looking down Aang spotted the people in the camp, recognizing a few of them. "Hey I know those guys. They're Fire Nation deserters."

"Exactly," Azula said. "There's one in particular that we're going to need."

Appa landed right in the middle of the camp, surprising nearly everyone in it. At first they were relieved to see the familiar faces of Aang and Haru, but then tensions rose when they saw Azula. Nearly every single one of them took up arms and expected her to attack, momentarily ignoring the fact that Aang was there.

"I think they don't like you," Toph whispered to Azula.

Aang jumped off Appa and landed in front of several pointed spears. "I can assure you all, there is an explanation for this."

"I can think of one." At the sound of that voice people moved out of the way, allowing Jeong Jeong to approach Aang. "So the Fire Princess finally got too impatient to wait for power."

Azula climbed off Appa and then glared at Jeong Jeong. "It's not quite that simple."

"Nothing ever is," Jeong Jeong added. He crossed his arms and glared back. "Why are you here?"

"I was looking for my uncle," Azula answered. "I figured he would have joined up with you deserters by now."

"Sorry to disappoint, but he's not here," Jeong Jeong answered. He paused and put one hand on his chin. "You must be desperate if you want his help."

"Not even close," Azula said. "Any firebender will be useful during the Comet, no matter their skill."

"Well Jeong Jeong is a master firebender," Aang said. He bowed to his firebending teacher before politely making a request. "Jeong Jeong, we could really use your help against the Fire Nation when Sozin's Comet arrives."

"Since the whole world is at stake, of course I will assist," Jeong Jeong said.

That's when Azula remembered who Jeong Jeong was, the admiral that had once taught her now dead cousin firebending. "Well you're no Dragon of the West, but you'll do just as well."

X

Over another day Anya flew south down the Earth Kingdom coastline, and kept flying south after reaching the southwestern corner of the continent. A couple more hours of flying brought an island into view, one that Suki sorely missed since leaving it many months ago. It felt like a lifetime since leaving Kyoshi Island, and yet it seemed like nothing had changed in that time.

In the middle of the morning Anya landed right in front of the training dojo on the island, when the Kyoshi Warriors would in the middle of their daily practices. The landing was loud enough to be heard through the walls of the dojo, getting the attention of everyone inside. Immediately every last Kyoshi Warrior exited the dojo and stood outside, staring at the sky bison that was different from the one they had seen before.

Suki jumped off Anya and landed between the sky bison and the Kyoshi Warriors, seeing their shocked espressions. "Hi girls."

"SUKI!" all of the warriors screamed, ecstatic that their leader had returned. All at once they rushed to her and made one gigantic group hug, laughing and crying with joy.

"Easy," Suki said, having trouble breathing while squeezed between her comrades.

"We all missed you," one warrior said, backing off a few inches with the others.

"I missed you all too," Suki admitted.

Still on the sky bison Ty Lee watched the reunion, wondering if all of her sisters would react in the same way. Even though it was clear that the Kyoshi Warriors weren't directly related to each other, they seemed like a closer family than her own. Ty Lee turned towards Katara, who seemed to know Suki most. "Hey, do you think she'd let me join up with them?"

"Don't push your luck," Katara answered.

X

At the other end of the continent Appa flew towards Ba Sing Se, towards the last stop on their recruitment drive. Toph wanted to bring in some of the fighters from professional earthbending tournaments, and had last seen one that she knew personally inside the city. Odds were that the fighters were long gone after Ba Sing Se's government collapsed, but the trip would still be worth it if any remnants of the city's military could be recruited.

"Are we there yet?" Toph asked.

"Almost," Aang said. He saw Appa fly over the outer wall of the city, which remained unbroken in spite of being rather vulnerable. "Azula, why hasn't the Fire Nation broken through the wall yet?"

"Oh, Zuko was saving that for the sky bison," Azula answered. "Nothing spreads fear like making the enemy's biggest defense completely worthless. Last time I checked he plans to fly straight here during the comet, burning down everything below him along the way."

"Okay, I get that," Aang said.

Azula casually looked over the side of Appa's saddle, taking in the view of the Agrarian Zone. She a large lake with an island in the middle, but didn't recognize the landmark from a bird's eye view. Movement on the island caught her eye, but couldn't tell what it was from so high up. So she grabbed a spyglass and used it to get a closer look, seeing dozens of men walking around and wearing the same green uniform.

"We have Dai Li agents down there," Azula informed, pointing them out while handing the spyglass over to Aang.

Aang looked through the spyglass and saw the agents, and then put the spyglass away. "We'll go around them."

"Hang on," Toph interrupted. "Take us down there, I have an idea."

"Uh Oh," Haru muttered. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"

Appa flew down towards the lake, reaching the surface at the lake's edge. From there he flew just above the water and heading towards the island, approaching a forested side. With hardly a ripple or a breeze giving him away Appa reached the island, completely unnoticed by the Dai Li agents on the other side of the trees. Quietly Toph and Aang climbed off Appa and walked through the trees, leaving Haru behind to keep an eye on Azula.

The Dai Li agents were in the middle of cooking their supper when Toph emerged from the trees, surprising all of them. They all stopped what they were doing and assumed earthbending stances, thinking that they were being ambushed by a very dangerous earthbender. That assumption was only reinforced when Aang stepped out of the trees, believing that the Avatar still held a grudge against them.

But instead of attacking the agents, Toph smiled and waved. "Hi guys, remember me?"

A confused agent relaxed his stance a bit. "You're the Bei Fong girl, right? The one Long Feng hired?"

"Yup," Toph answered. "Say, whatever happened to him?"

"He's dead," the agent answered. "Weren't you there?"

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Toph admitted. "Well that will make this easier."

"Make what easier?" the agent asked.

"Nothing much, just taking over what remains of the Dai Li," Toph answered.

"Wait, what?" all of the agents said at once.

"Wait, what?" Aang blurted out.

From just behind the trees came Haru and Azula's voices at the same time. "Wait, what?"

"You all heard me," Toph said. "Starting now, I'm in charge of the Dai Li."

"What makes you think we'll work for you?" one agent asked.

"This," Toph answered. She started earthbending the ground around herself, creating one of her thirty foot tall rock golems. And then Toph made the torso section split open and reveal her inside the golem. "Work for me, and I'll teach you how to make your own."

"Are you sure about this?" Aang asked.

"This is going to be awesome," Toph said to Aang. To the agents she sweetened her offer. "And if all of you join up right now we can get started on something even better than what I've got right now, something that's going to completely devastate the enemy."

The Dai Li dropped their stances and grouped together, discussing Toph's offer and their alternatives. They spent nearly half an hour talking amongst themselves, keeping their voices down so they wouldn't be overheard. When they came to an agreement one agent left the group and walked towards Toph, and then he bowed to her.

"We accept your terms."

Toph smiled. "Sweet."

X

Near the bottom of the world Anya was flying straight south, heading for one last spot on their little world tour. Katara and Sokka couldn't help but notice the irony, that their last destination was also the start of their journey long ago. It felt like years had passed since leaving their home at the South Pole, and even longer since the siblings had been separated. Sokka regretted ever letting Katara out of his sight to begin with, and he felt great relief to be returning home together.

However, Katara was surprised to see dozens of wooden ships next to the glacier's edge, docked in what appeared to be a harbor made from waterbended ice. "Okay, what happened while we were away?"

Sokka smiled at the sight of the ships, recognizing some of them from the North Pole. "Looks like Pakku and the others made it here safely."

"Who's Pakku?" Katara asked.

"Master waterbender," Sokka answered. He looked at each of the docked ships in turn to check if all of the refugees made it. All of them were there, and a few extra. "That's strange, they picked up more ships on the way here."

"Hey is that what I think it is?" Katara asked, pointing towards one of the ships.

As Anya flew closer Sokka got a better look at the ship Katara pointed out, and he wasn't sure if he could believe his eyes. "No way," he muttered, recognizing the ship from nearly three years ago. "That's Dad's Boat!"

Katara nearly shoved Ty Lee out of the way to get at Anya's reins. "Faster bison, faster," Katara commanded.

As if feeling the siblings' enthusiasm herself, Anya flew faster towards the glacier. She flew over the ships and then over the ice, heading to a village further from the glacier's edge. That village had grown considerably since Katara and Sokka had left it, expanding to accommodate an influx of refugees. Gone were the old tents of bone and animal skins, replaced by structures waterbended from the very ice they stood on.

Anya landed next to the largest ice building, which Katara and Sokka knew would be used as the village's main hall. Both of them jumped off Anya and hurried to the front door, barging into the main hall with no respect for traditional protocol. Inside there were dozens of men and women sitting at a long table having dinner, and the far end of the table had the seats for the leaders of the tribe. Four people were there, Master Pakku, Gran Gran, Princess Yue…

…and Chief Hakoda.

"DAD!" Katara and Sokka yelled, seeing their father for the first time in years. They ran through the hall on opposite sides of the long table, racing each other to get to Hakoda first. The race ended with a tie, Katara and Sokka throwing themselves onto Hakoda for a hug, and momentum knocked his chair and all three of them over onto the floor.

Laughter broke out throughout the hall, quickly followed by Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda laughing with them. Tears of joy fell from all three of their faces, and they all helped each other get up and back on their feet. The reunited family made a group hug in front of everyone, sharing a moment that they wished could last forever.

"You've both grown so much, Hakoda said.

Next to the family Gran Gran smiled, particularly at Sokka. "I see you managed to catch up with your sister."

The interruption ended the family hug, prompting the three to take a polite step away. "It wasn't easy,"Sokka admitted.

"I'll bet," Hakoda said. "Imagine my surprise to come home and find both of my kids off exploring the world, and helping the Avatar no less."

"That was mostly Katara," Sokka corrected.

"Don't sell yourself short," Pakku said, getting up from his seat. "You helped us survive the loss of our home, and your kin have accepted us into yours."

As if to reinforce the point Princess Yue looked at Sokka with a smirk on her face, silently reminding him of their out of body, and very private, experience.

"Yeah, you have a point," Sokka conceded. Then he changed the subject. "Dad, when did you get back here?"

Hakoda's expression turned grim. "Well up until a few months ago we were defending a place called Chameleon Bay, it's near Ba Sing Se. We were receiving support from the Earth Kingdom government, but one day that support completely vanished."

"Yeah, that's kind of our bad," Sokka interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"We kind of destabilized their government, and it collapsed," Katara added, mimicking Sokka's gesture.

"Impressive," Pakku said. "Not a good thing to do, but still impressive."

"Anyway," Hakoda continued. "Since we couldn't hold the bay by ourselves for much more than a week, we decided to leave and start ambushing the Fire Nation along the Earth Kingdom coastline. That's when we received news of the Northern Tribe's fall, and we immediately sailed home to assist in any way we could."

"And we're grateful for your hospitality," Yue said.

Hakoda nodded in respect. "Well you're earning your keep and then some," he said, referring to the help of the northern tribe's waterbenders.

"Now what brings you two back home?" Gran Gran asked.

That question made Sokka get serious. "Dad, Pakku, we're preparing one last ditch attempt to stop the Fire Nation. We're throwing everything we have at them while we still can, before they can wear us out and grind us down. That's because if we don't stop them now, we never will."

Pakku stood up and faced Sokka. "All you had to do was ask."

"We're with you,"Hakoda added. "I'm not letting the Fire Nation separate this family again."

* * *

><p>Three days before the return of Sozin's Comet, an army began to coalesce within the central Earth Kingdom. Already anchored next to the shore of a wide river was the pirate ship, whose crew were selling weapons to earthbender rebels at end of the world prices. From the north small riverboats were transporting deserters to the rendezvous point, and from the south canoes were transporting swampbenders to the same destination, meeting in the middle to each other's surprise. Neither had known that the other existed, a fact that the pirates quickly capitalized on by acting as paid mediators.<p>

The exploitation ended when the Kyoshi Warriors arrived, offering to introduce the deserters to the swampbenders for free. Once they all knew they were there for the same reason everyone got along, sharing strategies and combining the tactics of different bending elements. Not only did the different factions become organized, they prepared for the arrival of more forces to come. They just weren't expecting the Dai Li to show up.

Arriving on high speed mounds of earth the Dai Li came from the northeast, and in front of them was Toph in her old uniform. Behind them and in the sky was Appa, bringing Aang, Haru, and Azula to the growing army. After they arrived Toph spent every waking moment with the agents, teaching them her techniques and what she wanted them to do with the knowledge. Toph wasn't telling anyone but the agents what she had in mind, and made the agents stay silent about it as well.

Last to arrive was the Water Tribe, having the greatest distance to travel by water. Just ahead of them was Anya, bringing Ty Lee, Suki, Sokka, and Katara back to their friends. With their arrival all three waterbending factions were brought together, North, South, and Swamp, becoming one United Water Tribe.

Alone, each faction had no chance against the Fire Nation. But together, under the banner of Avatar Aang, they were a force to be reckoned with. Water was theirs alone to command, Earth was their ally, Fire was no longer the enemy's sole domain, Air was exclusive to the last airbender. The four elements were together in an army the world had never known before, united under a single goal.

Stop the Fire Nation, No Matter What.


	38. The Comet: Part One

Chapter 37: The Comet: Part One

Before The Storm

From the top of a plateau next to a river Avatar Aang surveyed the makeshift army below, assembled from various factions from across the globe. For the first time west coast earthbenders met Dai Li agents, northern tribe waterbenders met swampbenders, warriors from Kyoshi Island met deserters from the Fire Nation, southern tribe sailors met freelance pirates, all united against a common foe. With some of the best benders in the world and over a thousand fighters at their disposal, these united forces were ready for one final stand.

Only two days remained before the return of Sozin's Comet, two days before the fate of the world would be decided. Everyone spent their valuable time preparing, practicing fighting forms, sharpening weapons, securing supplies, planning tactics, endless battle drills, anything that could improve their odds. Combining the different elements at their disposal was their greatest asset, as the enemy only possessed the element of fire.

And yet Aang still worried, doubts still plaguing him. "I just hope this is enough."

Next to him on the plateau was Katara, having the same worries as Aang. "If this isn't enough, nothing will be."

"I know, but still," Aang said. He watched one of the swambenders work with a northern tribe waterbender, bending the same wave of water for an amplified effect. "It's an awfully big gamble."

"It's all we have," Katara said. Her gaze drifted to a red tent that stood next to a forest, separated from the rest of the encampment. "I just wish we didn't need _her_ help."

* * *

><p>Inside the red tent Azula sat cross-legged with her hands cupped above her knees, her eyes closed and breaths slow in meditation. A blue flame burned in the air just above her hands, filling the tent with blue light. The blue flame grew and shrank with the rhythm of her breaths, held in check entirely by the strength of Azula's will.<p>

The flap at one end of the tent opened as someone entered, and Azula only knew one person that would dare interrupt her meditation. "What is it Ty Lee?"

Ty Lee sat down next to Azula, looking at her in the blue light. "I'm worried," Ty Lee admitted. "Are you sure that we have to do this? It is your own brother we'll be facing."

"Yes, I'm sure," Azula said. "And it's too late to turn back."

"No it isn't," Ty Lee argued. "We can still double-cross these guys, tell Zuko what they're doing and how to beat them, that would get you back on top again."

Azula smiled and opened her eyes, looking at Ty Lee. "That does sound appealing." She paused and looked into her blue fire, then looked back at Ty Lee again. "But Zuko would see right through it. He will find what we've been up to, and only make him try to get rid of me sooner."

"But not right away," Ty Lee reasoned. "You're the only heir left until Zuko has a kid, and it's going to take him a while to change that."

"That only guarantees a year, any longer depending on Mai's mood," Azula said. She focused her gaze on her blue flame again. "No, I won't let myself be at their mercy."

Ty Lee's gaze fell to Azula's blue flame, the bending signature of the princess. "If we do this, if you're spotted fighting against Zuko, won't you be killed immediately?"

Suddenly the blue flame swelled and burned brighter, before changing color from blue to orange and red, then settling into a calm burn. "Not anymore," Azula said, now looking into the light of a normal flame.

The change in the light allowed Ty Lee to see a mask on the floor, no longer hidden by its blue shade matching the earlier blue light. The eyeless holes of the blue oni mask seemed to stare at Ty Lee, instilling just as much fear as Azula could make. "You've thought of everything."

"Oh I'm sure I've missed something," Azula said. She put out her flame and shrouded the tent in darkness, before their eyes adjusted to dim sunlight piercing the tent's fabric. "No one can account for random chance."

"Like finding those Dai Li guys," Ty Lee mentioned.

* * *

><p>"Alright boys, show me what you've learned."<p>

In a nearby stone valley Toph was facing the dozens of Dai Li agents she'd recruited, after she had taught them enough earthbending to do what she wanted with them. In synchronized motions the agents all bended the ground beneath their feet, pulling it up and around themselves into stone armor. Each agent now stood at a height of fifteen feet, while their armor was half as wide. The armored agents all assumed a fighting stance, ready to test themselves for their teacher.

With a smile on her face Toph earthbended her own stone armor, encasing herself within a twenty foot tall stone golem. Then she charged at the armored agents and plowed into them, swinging stone arms into armored agents and tossing them away. Rocks flew everywhere when stone fist met stone armor, shattering armors when their agents failed to keep up their concentration. Three armored agents tackled Toph at the same time, pinning her down for a few seconds before she threw them off.

Those few seconds were enough time for five armored agents to improvise a strategy, building on the techniques they had learned. Two of them reshaped their armors into a pair of thick legs, another jumped while reshaping his armor into a giant torso that attached to the legs, and the other two leaped while reshaping their armors into a pair of long arms that attached to the torso, combining into a single thirty foot tall giant. The agent in the giant's torso looked down from a seemingly small stone head, while using his fingers to earthbend signals through the rock to coordinate with the others.

"Now that's more like it!" Toph yelled, and then she charged at the giant. And when she was close enough Toph made her golem leap at the giant's head, while also pulling back a stone fist for a knockout punch.

The giant's longer reach allowed it to strike first, throwing a punch before Toph could finish her attack. The blow hit Toph's golem and tossed it forty feet away, and the giant caught up to it in a few large strides. Both long arms came crashing down on top of the golem, blocked only by Toph crossing the golem's fists to catch the attack. Force from the blow made the golem's feet sink into the ground a few feet, but Toph held her ground against the larger opponent.

Suddenly the golem's chest burst open and Toph leaped out of it, planting her feet on the ground in between the giant's legs. Toph threw both arms out to earthbend the giant's feet, shattering the stone and the giant's footing at the same time. The entire giant toppled over immediately, breaking apart as its pieces hit the ground, scattering the five agents inside amongst the crumbling stone.

Toph climbed on top of the crumbled stone, where all of the agents could see her. "We're going to have to work on stability." Toph gestured to the pile for the agents still in their own armors. "We can't have this happening in the middle of a real fight."

"Understood," the agents said.

Right away the agents got back to work practicing the stone armor earthbending, refining the technique for greater effectiveness. Toph smiled as she monitored the agents' efforts, proud of the unprecedented force at her command. "Haru's got nothing on this."

* * *

><p>In an open field Haru was watching a group of earthbender rebels practicing with the Kyoshi Warriors, working together to find ways to improve their fighting abilities. The few Fire Nation deserters that could firebend simulated an attack by throwing fireballs, which the earthbenders and warriors fought off together. The warriors focused on deflecting the fireballs with their war fans, allowing the earthbenders to focus on offense by throwing boulders.<p>

While the combined effort was making improvement, Haru thought they could do better. He spotted Suki among the Kyoshi Warriors, wearing a fresh uniform with new face paint. "Hey Suki, want to try something different?"

Suki stopped her practice and walked over to Haru. "What did you have in mind?"

"Just brace your legs," Haru recommended.

"Uh Oh," Suki muttered, even as she did brace her legs.

With a clench of his fist Haru earthbended stone boots around Suki's feet, and with a thrust of his fist Haru propelled those boots with earthbending, and those boots took Suki along for a ride. Suki slid across the field three times faster than she could run, but still remained upright and able to swing her war fans. Her sudden speed surprised the deserters simulating an attack, forcing them to scatter as Suki barged through their formation. That disruption allowed the earthbenders to strike down the deserters to end the simulated battle, while also spreading Haru's idea to the earthbenders and Kyoshi Warriors.

By pulling his arm back Haru summoned the stone boots, which took Suki back to him. When she was only a few feet away Haru stopped earthbending, except to break apart the stone boots so that Suki could walk freely. But after one step Suki stumbled and fell, and Haru quickly caught Suki in his arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Sprained ankle," Suki answered, wincing in minor pain. "I'll be alright."

"Let's get you to one of the healers," Haru insisted. He placed Suki's left arm around his shoulders and helped her walk towards one of the Northern Water Tribe's tents. "I'm sure they'll only need a minute to fix a sprain."

* * *

><p>Inside one of the large blue tents used by the Northern Water Tribe, Healer Yugoda was busy teaching some of the swampbenders how to use waterbending to heal injuries. She insisted that every waterbender learned at least the basics of healing, so that wounds taken during battle could be fixed immediately and allow the warriors to get back into battle sooner. Even some of the male waterbenders from the northern tribe showed up for lessons, setting aside traditions in favor of pragmatism.<p>

After one lesson Yugoda was preparing for the next one when she heard someone enter, and she turned to see a woman around her age there. Yugoda remembered seeing this elderly woman from a distance when first reaching the Southern Water Tribe, and when Hakoda had returned he'd introduced her to Pakku as his mother, though nearly everyone in the southern tribe called her Gran Gran.

"The next lesson is in ten minutes," Yugoda said.

"I'm not here for lessons," Gran Gran said.

Something in Gran Gran's voice got to Yugoda, stirring up memories from a long time ago. Yugoda took a closer look at Gran Gran's face, seeing something familiar underneath the wrinkled skin. "Have we met before?"

Gran Gran smiled. "It's been about sixty-five years, old friend."

That's when Yugoda realized who Gran Gran really was. "Kanna?" Yugoda said, remembering someone from that long ago. "Is that really you?"

Kanna's smile grew larger. "Yes, it really is me."

Completely speechless at the discovery of an old friend, Yugoda walked closer to Kanna. All the memories from growing up came flooding back, from playing the same ice hut as toddlers to racing in the canals as children to secretly dunking insufferable boys in cold water as teenagers and everything in between. They embraced each other in a full and passionate hug, just like they did on the night Kanna left the northern tribe to escape an arranged marriage. It was a moment that Yugoda had thought would never happen, and one she wished could last forever.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Yugoda admitted.

"Plans change," Kanna said. She let go of her friend and looked into her eyes. "I still wish you could have come with me."

"It was hard enough getting you out," Yugoda said, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. "But that doesn't matter anymore. We found each other again, that's what matters."

"And we haven't forgotten each other," Kanna added, starting to cry with joy.

"Does _he_ know?" Yugoda asked, remembering the reason why Kanna left in the first place.

"No," Kanna answered. She smirked while wondering how her former betrothed would react. "I want to see how long it takes for Pakku to figure it out."

* * *

><p>On the far side of the river Master Pakku was having a friendly duel with another waterbender, and was having his first real challenge in decades. In the northern tribe nearly an entire generation of waterbenders had either been trained by him or trained by masters he knew, making it very difficult for anyone to surprise him with waterbending. That made Pakku all the more eager to spar with Huu, so that he could to prove to himself that he wasn't getting complacent or losing his edge.<p>

Where Pakku preferred fast whips of water that slashed at his opponent, Huu used slower and larger waves that slammed into a foe. The slower style threw off Pakku's timing for blocks, making temporary water shields too early and they would fall apart too soon, letting Huu's attacks through when the defense was down. And during Pakku's attacks Huu countered the bending with his own, halting the water's forward motion and spilling it back into the river.

After sparring for five minutes Pakku decided to show off, bending enough water around his legs to make a cyclone that lifted him thirty feet high. From there he swooped down and threw water faster than Huu could react, getting through Huu's defenses and knocking him into the river. But then Huu stayed beneath the river's surface longer than expected, doing something down there that Pakku was unfamiliar with.

The surface of the river burst open as a twenty foot tall monster rose upward, composed entirely of weeds and plants that grew on the riverbed, save for a wooden mask on the front. From inside the monster Huu bended the water inside the plants, controlling the monster like an extension of his own body.

"Well that's something different," Pakku said to himself.

Huu's monster waded through the river to the base of Pakku's cyclone, and then swung an arm into the base of it. Raging waters tore apart the plant matter composing the arm, but not before it disrupted the currents essential to keeping the cyclone stable. The base of the cyclone came apart in torrents of water, while the rest came crashing down in gravity's pull. Pakku fell into the river just upstream of Huu, where he started bending water into large spikes of ice. Those spikes pierced the vegetation but deliberately missed Huu in the center, and then Pakku bended the ice spike away from each other, tearing the monster apart and dropping Huu into the river.

At the same time Pakku and Huu surfed to the shore on waterbended waves, planting their feet on solid ground not far from each other. Both were breathing fast after so much bending, and both were wondering what other tricks would come next. Pakku bent some water around his arms to make whips for another round, while Huu bent water around his legs for defense in the next round.

"Are you two done measuring yet?"

Immediately all of the water splashed back into the river, both Pakku and Huu turning to see Hakoda standing nearby. The interruption completely killed Pakku's concentration, and that was no condition to test himself in. "We are now," Pakku answered.

"But we must do this again sometime," Huu insisted. He walked up to Pakku and made a polite bow. "It's been a privilege to duel with such an honorable man."

"The privilege is mine," Pakku said, returning the bow. Then he turned to Hakoda. "Did you want something?"

"I wanted to meet my daughter's teacher," Hakoda answered. He turned towards Huu and offered a hand in friendship. "Katara's said good things about you."

"It's nice to hear that," Huu said.

Believing that Huu and Hakoda deserved some privacy, Pakku turned and started walking away. But when he was almost out of earshot a thought crossed his mind, something that he might regret not acting on later. So he turned back and walked towards Huu and Hakoda, his hand reaching into a deep pocket and into a small satchel inside.

"Heads up," Pakku said, taking a pair of Pai Sho tiles out of his pocket and tossing both of them to Huu and Hakoda.

After catching one tile Hakoda looked at the symbol on it. "The white lotus tile?" Hakoda questioned. "Isn't this the worst piece in Pai Sho?"

"What's Pai Sho?" Huu asked, staring at the identical white lotus tile he caught.

"There's more to it than just a game," Pakku explained. "Hold onto those tiles, there are other likeminded individuals who help those who keep the White Lotus Gambit."

* * *

><p>With his own white lotus tile safely tucked away in his sleeve, Jeong Jeong patiently waited at the top of a large hill. In the distance he spotted a messenger hawk flying towards him, arriving on schedule in response to another hawk he'd sent several days ago. The incoming hawk dived out of the sky and landed on Jeong Jeong's extended arm, and he used the other hand to remove a rolled piece of parchment from a tube on the hawk's back, and then he read the delivered message.<p>

_Report received. Unexpected development, but welcome. Covert operatives focusing elsewhere, will not interfere with probable Avatar activity. Keep doing what you've been doing. Grandmaster out._

Jeong Jeong reread the message until he had it memorized, then burned the parchment in his hand. Without context the message had no meaning, just in case it had been intercepted by the enemy. But with context Jeong Jeong knew exactly what the message meant, that his secret society approved of the makeshift army the Avatar assembled, as it would allow them to devote more resources to covert activities instead of fighting during the comet. It also meant that Jeong Jeong now had orders to remain where he was, as it fitted within the grand schemes of Grandmaster Iroh.

"If only you could be here," Jeong Jeong muttered, thinking that the makeshift army could really use some help from the Dragon of the West. But he had to settle for sending another message back, even if there was barely enough time for the hawk to reach Iroh before the comet would arrive. So he took out a new piece of parchment along with a brush and ink, then wrote his new message.

_Orders received. Continuing with current objectives. Odds of success higher than previously estimated, but still low. Will be unable to report again before mission outcome. May the Spirits be with you. Deserter out._

Once the ink was dry Jeong Jeong rolled up the parchment and placed it inside the hawk's tube, then sent it off to deliver the message. "Who'd have thought that you'd have us stop your own nephew?"

* * *

><p>In the Fire Nation forty of the most elite firebenders available were assembled on one of the highest volcanic peaks, standing in formation between the tamed sky bison herd and the Fire Lord. Eleven sky bison were available for use during the comet, one down from the dozen found with Air Nomad Aang's translated texts. Fire Lord Zuko knew that the missing sky bison was Ty Lee's personal favorite, and that she would only be gone if Azula had asked her to leave.<p>

And yet Zuko wasn't surprised, only disappointed that his sister had chosen now of all times to betray him. He'd expected something more subtle from her, like a poisoned meal or that mute assassin, not outright desertion in this critical time. But Zuko didn't officially declare Azula a traitor just yet, not when there was a chance he could use her treachery to his own benefits. But in the moment Zuko put the thoughts of his sister aside, needing to make a grand speech to inspire the firebenders in front of him.

"We stand at the crossroads, where destiny itself is ours to command. A hundred years ago my great-grandfather changed the world, making it possible for our nation to expand beyond the archaic borders enforced by Avatars past. But now we will not just change the world, we will remake it. From these bison we will burn down the remains of the old world, and from the ashes a new world with rise, a world where all the lands are Fire Nation. This will be our world, now and forever, until the end of Time!"

The elite firebenders rallied together at the end of the speech, truly believing the worlds of the Fire Lord. They marched to the sky bison and boarded the metal saddles in groups of four, each group meeting a pilot that's sole responsibility was guiding the sky bison. Only the middle sky bison remained unoccupied, its saddle having golden markings that identified it as the Fire Lord's bison. When all of the elite firebenders finished boarding Zuko walked to his bison and climbed into its saddle, where he found his very familiar pilot waiting for him.

"You need a speechwriter," Mai criticized.

"I thought it was good," Zuko said. He looked around and saw that the other sky bison were ready to take off. "Get this beast in the air."

Mai grabbed the reins and pulled. "Yip-Yip," she commanded, and the bison took flight. The rest of the herd soon followed, flying in a V formation behind Mai's bison.

As it was going to be a long flight to the Earth Kingdom, Zuko laid back in the saddle and strapped himself in. "Wake me up an hour before we get there."

"You're going to sleep up here?" Mai questioned.

"What else is there to do up here?" Zuko asked.

A smile crept across Mai's face. "I can think of one thing."

"We'll do that after we win," Zuko promised.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Mai assured.

As Zuko tried to sleep his thoughts drifted to the coming battle, going through every possibility in his mind. One certainty was that the Avatar would interfere somewhere down the line, but how soon was unpredictable. The Avatar's friends would be there as well, always there to be a thorn in his side. Of special interest was the menace that followed Zuko all the way from the North Pole to Ba Sing Se and even the Fire Nation Palace, the nonbender that was far more cunning than he appeared.

* * *

><p>Late in the evening Sokka was having trouble sleeping in his tent, and for good reason. Tomorrow was the big day for the makeshift army, when they would move out to get into position for Sozin's Comet. They were going to attack Fire Nation territory before the comet arrived, to push back the enemy while the playing field was still even. That would force the Fire Nation to waste precious time retaking territory they had before the attack, lessening the total amount of damage they could do with amplified firebending.<p>

Knowing that sleep wasn't coming anytime soon Sokka crawled out of his sleeping bag, and then he stood up and stretched his arms. He was about to leave and take a walk when the flap of his tent was pulled back from outside, and Sokka was surprised by who he saw entering. "Yue? "

"I couldn't sleep either," Yue admitted.

"Yeah, it's hard to sleep when the world could be gone by the end of the week," Sokka said.

"I know," Yue said.

There was an awkward silence between them that lasted far too long, a personal matter left unsettled. "Yue, did you tell anyone about the spirit world?"

"No," Yue answered. She looked down at her feet, feeling slightly embarrassed. "To be honest, I thought I dreamt it."

"You dream about me?" Sokka asked.

Yue couldn't hide a slight blush hitting her cheeks. "Sometimes," she admitted. "It's usually whenever Pakku talks about arranging a marriage for me."

"Don't let him," Sokka insisted. "You should be with who you want to be with."

"That's not it," Yue said. She hesitated to say more, but she needed to get it out in the open. "Sokka, Pakku wants me to marry you."

"Well you'll just have to tell him n- Wait! _Me?!_" Sokka blurted out. He needed a few seconds to process the news. "Since when did Pakku want that?"

"Since we met your dad," Yue answered. "Hakoda refused to be a part of arranging a marriage, spirits bless him, and Pakku respected that."

"That still doesn't explain why," Sokka said.

"He thinks it's best for both our tribes," Yue added. She held up her hands and put them together. "The children of two chiefs marrying would truly unify our people."

"Politics," Sokka cursed, shaking his head. "Why does it have to be politics?"

Yue grabbed Sokka's shoulder and pulled him close, surprising him with a passionate kiss. When Yue finished she left Sokka speechless. "Let him have his politics. I wanted to be with you before he approved. I still do, and that will not change."

Once Sokka recovered from Yue's kiss, he made one of his own. They held each other close during that kiss, only stopping when they needed to breathe. "This changes things, doesn't it?"

"I can live with that," Yue said. She eyed Sokka's sleeping bag, and then walked towards it while gently pulling Sokka along. "But right now, we really need to rest."

_A few minutes later…_

"Hey… That's not restful."

* * *

><p>On the next day the entire makeshift army made the final preparations for battle, confirming their assignments and assembling for deployment. Toph's Dai Li agents grouped together on the northeastern side, Haru's earthbender rebels and Suki's Kyoshi Warriors were in the west, the pirates and Water Tribes began boarding the ships on the river, Aang, Katara, Azula, and Ty Lee were standing next to Appa and Anya, and the Fire Nation deserters dispersed amongst the three ground based groups. Though united under one goal, strategy demanded that they divide and conquer.<p>

Simultaneous attacks on four different locations were needed to maximize the damage to the Fire Nation, to take each by surprise before any could alert the others with fast messenger hawks. One group had to engage the army stationed between the colonies and Earth Kingdom territory, to prevent those firebenders from advancing eastward. Another group had to attack the coastline, to prevent the navy from transporting reinforcements between ports. A third group had to travel to Minara and destroy that outpost, to prevent it from being used as a launching point to invade Ba Sing Se. And the final group had to engage the sky bison fleet, to stop Fire Lord Zuko.

"I call dibs on the outpost," Toph said. Before anyone could say otherwise Toph was already heading northeast on a mound of fast moving earth, followed by the Dai Li agents bringing Sokka and Jeong Jeong with them.

"We'll handle the colonial front," Haru said, referring to the earthbender rebels and the Kyoshi Warriors. With Suki at his side Haru led their combined forces into the west, having the rebels transport the warriors on moving mounds of earth. A few deserters came along for firebending support, which Tyro kept a close eye on.

"Dad and Pakku have the seas," Katara said. She watched all of the Water Tribe ships set sail downriver, northern and southern tribes taking the swamp tribe with them to the coast.

"And we have the skies," Aang said. He started walking towards Appa with Katara beside him, while also watching Azula and Ty Lee walking towards Anya.

But while walking towards the sky bison Azula stopped in her tracks, and started rummaging through her pockets. "Almost forgot," Azula muttered. She took something out of her pocket and tossed it to Katara. "I believe that's yours."

Katara was surprised by what she caught, a very familiar piece of jewelry. "My mother's necklace!" she nearly screamed. She stared at the carved stone and fingered it over and over, convincing herself that it was real. "You had it all this time, and actually _kept_ it?"

"I needed that for a shirshu," Azula answered. "But it won't do me any good anymore. It has to have lost your scent by now."

Once Katara was certain that she wasn't dreaming, she put the necklace around her neck where it belonged. Katara nearly gagged on the words she needed to say, having never thought she'd ever say them to Azula. "Thank you."

Those words made Azula hesitate, hearing something unfamiliar in Katara's tone. It almost seemed like real sincerity. "Um… you're welcome?" Then she turned away from Katara and walked over to Anya, catching up with Ty Lee on the sky bison.

Together Aang and Katara climbed aboard Appa, the former taking the reins while the latter sat in the saddle. From his view on Appa's head Aang saw Ty Lee in the same place on Anya, looking back at him. For a split second Aang felt a kind of kinship with Ty Lee, as if they were both where they belonged with the reins in their hands. At the same time they gave the command to their sky bison.

"Appa,"

"Anya,"

"_Yip Yip!_"

* * *

><p>In the small hours of the morning all was quiet in the colonies, save for light patrols that kept them safe during the night. Dreams of power beyond imagination were common among the sleeping firebenders, and soon those dreams would become a reality for one day. And with that power the colonies would expand deeper into the Earth Kingdom, burning down the thick forests to open the land for farming and livestock.<p>

One of the easternmost colonies was in a prime location to start a blaze, a small village next to a thick forest. The village was near a strange dam made out of stone pulled up from the riverbed, which had later been reinforced with wooden beams cut from nearby trees. A new dam downstream was in the middle of being built with conventional methods, as the locals didn't trust the stone dam to last more than a year before an inevitable collapse under the strain of holding back a river.

"No, we are _not_ breaking the dam," Haru insisted to the fifth earthbender to suggest that idea. His and Suki's portion of the army was in position behind a hill near the village, nearly ready to charge over it to engage the enemy. "We're here to drive the Fire Nation out of this area, not indiscriminately kill everyone in it."

Standing next to Haru was Suki, and she added another reason against breaking the dam. "We also want to make the Fire Nation waste time retaking the village later. If we wipe it out there would be no reason for them to slow down here, and we'd have to face extra strong firebenders even longer than we have to."

The earthbender got the point and walked to position within the other rebels, who were waiting in formation for the order to attack. Meanwhile Haru and Suki took point near the top of the hill, crouching down to remain hidden from view on the other side. There they waited for the right moment to begin the attack, and it came when the eastern sky began to brighten. The start of dawn was the signal to begin, but only for the Kyoshi Warriors at first.

Sentries on patrol spotted the attack coming down their side of the hill and immediately sounded the alarm. Loud bells rang through the village to awaken the soldiers still sleeping, while also making the civilians complain about being woken up at dawn. Early risers joined the sentries in defense of the village, assembling in a thirty man block formation outside the eastern entrance facing the attack.

In the few seconds before the battle could begin the sun rose above the horizon, shining right into the eyes of the village's defenders. Momentary blindness caught the soldiers off guard and left them vulnerable, which the Kyoshi Warriors did not hesitate to exploit. At the bottom of the hill they collided with the village's defenders, swinging war fans and katanas into the blinded foes. The dozen warriors struck down just as many soldiers before the eyes of the soldiers adjusted to the light, just in time to see boulders plummeting down at them.

From the top of the hill the earthbenders hurled boulders over the warriors and into the soldiers, aimed for the ones in the middle of the block formation. A dozen more soldiers fell in the middle and back of the formation, but deliberately missed the soldiers in front to avoid hitting the Kyoshi Warriors fighting them. Then the warriors withdrew several feet and scattered, providing a clear line of sight for the earthbenders to throw blocks of stone straight at the remaining soldiers and strike them down.

Among the earthbenders Haru struck down the last soldier, which gave him a clear view of the village ahead. "Charge!" he ordered.

While everyone rushed towards the city Suki matched her pace with Haru, running side by side with him. "I bet you've always wanted to say that," Suki guessed.

"Yes, yes I have," Haru admitted.

As the warriors and earthbenders entered the village they found more trouble ahead. From every house and building soldiers hurried into the streets, some moving so hastily that they didn't get properly equipped for the battle at hand. Missing boots, unsecured armor, and lopsided helmets were a common sight among the soldiers, metaphorically caught with their pants down. Even with that disadvantage the soldiers put up a fight, focusing on firebending from a distance to compensate for incomplete equipment.

Fireballs shot through the streets and were lobbed over buildings, small ones aimed at specific targets and large ones aimed for groups. Swift swings of their war fans allowed the Kyoshi Warriors to deflect the small fireballs, dispersing the flames into the air where they went out in the wind. Thick stone walls were earthbended out of the streets to block the large fireballs, shielding the earthbenders from the heat. After serving their purpose the stone walls were earthbended into smaller blocks of rock and propelled at the firebenders, striking down several at a time.

Slowly but surely the attack moved forward into the village, capturing it street by street. But as the fight went on the resistance intensified, a result of soldiers deeper in the village having more time to get ready. And one by one an earthbender or Kyoshi Warrior fell to a well-placed fireball, weakening their ability to drive out the firebenders.

"I hope the others are doing better," Haru muttered aloud.

* * *

><p>In the west it was still the middle of the night, concealing the approach of several ships sailing down the coastline. The Water Tribe fleet was approaching one of the largest ports among the colonies, built around the mouth of a large river flowing into the ocean. Dozens of transport ships were docked in the port, nearly ready to begin shipping troops up the river into the heart of the Earth Kingdom. But at night only the skeleton crews were keeping the ships operational, a weakness that was practically begging to be exploited.<p>

Not a sound could be heard from the ships coming from the north, courtesy of waterbenders calming the waters around the ships' hulls to conceal their approach. Blue sails were nearly impossible to see in the dark of the night, hiding from casual view all but one of the ships. The red sails of the pirate ship stuck out like a sore thumb in the fleet, which sailed behind the rest in an attempt for it to hide behind the Water Tribe ships.

Aboard the lead ship were Hakoda, Pakku, and Huu, waiting for the right moment to signal the fleet to attack. The crew carefully steered the ship into the port, entering the waters shared by the river and the sea. Worry spread amongst the crew, warriors, and waterbenders, fearing that they would be spotted any second. It wasn't until they were close enough to see individual sailors on enemy ships that Hakoda gave the signal.

"Open Fire!" Hakoda ordered, raising up one arm and making a hand signal.

Waterbenders on deck immediately followed the order, ceasing their concealment waterbending and switching to offense. At the edges of the ship they bended water up from the sea and coated cannonballs with it, suspending the metal within the water. Then the waterbenders hurled the water coated metal at the enemy ships, their attacks possessing the precise aim of waterbending yet having the sheer striking power of hard metal, puncturing holes in the enemy ships' hulls with each hit. The nearest ships were hit dozens of times, enough strikes hitting below the waterline and making those ships begin to sink beneath the waves.

After the first barrage an alarm sounded throughout the port, loud horns blaring from every ship and from towers on the shore. Firebenders stationed on those towers lit emergency beacons on the roofs, piles of oil-soaked wood that burned brighter than any firebender's flame. With large mounted mirrors next to the beacons the firebenders focused the light onto the water, revealing the Water Tribe fleet invading the port.

"Man that's bright," Hakoda complained, using an arm to shield his eyes from the light of the beacons.

"Then someone's going to have to fix that," Pakku said. He ran to the edge of the ship and jumped off it, diving into the water below. Beneath the surface Pakku spun himself faster and faster in the water, taking control over enough of it to create his signature cyclone that thrust him high above the ships. From the top of his cyclone Pakku bent some of the water into a cloud of fog and spread through the air towards the beacons, obscuring the direct line of sight and scattering the light all over the port.

"My turn," Huu said. He jumped into the water and sank all the way to the bottom, landing inside a thick field of kelp that covered the seafloor. There he bent the water inside the kelp to create his signature plant monster, which then rose to the surface next to the shore. It ambushed soldiers hurrying to board one of the docked ships and started throwing vine-like arms into them, tossing the soldiers aside like a child's toys.

While Pakku and Huu did their parts Hakoda gave another hand signal, which a crew member in the ship's crow's nest relayed to the fleet with a lamp and a mirror. "Bring in the pirates!"

After the signal was relayed the fleet split in two, bombarding opposite sides of the port with water-thrown cannonballs. In the opening path between ships the pirates sailed into shallower waters, and when it was close enough to the enemy the pirate ship turned to get its starboard side facing enemy ships. And on the deck of the pirate ship its captain gave the order to attack to his crew, who had just finished loading many cannons.

"Fire At Will!"

Crewmen behind the cannons lit fuses to ignite black power within the weapons, shooting cannonballs with far more power and speed than their waterbending counterparts. These cannonballs pierced the hulls of enemy ships and tore through metal walls behind them, some even going so far as ripping through the hull on the other side. Several enemy ships were sinking beneath the waves when the pirates stopped firing, needing time to reload the cannons.

Then the Fire Nation counterattack began, the ships still afloat moving away from the shore and closer to the Water Tribe. When they got close enough the firebenders aboard started throwing fire at their enemy, setting wooden hulls and sails ablaze as well as some of the crew. But in naval combat the firebenders were out of their element, while the waterbenders were surrounded by theirs. Water flowed out of the sea to put out the flames, and then the waterbenders began coating the hulls and sails in ice to shield them from more fire.

Burned crewmen on the lead ship retreated inside the main cabin, where healers were stationed to treat the wounded and get them back into the fight. Among the healers was Princess Yue, working with a waterbender to purify salt water into fresh water for the healers. Yue held up a thin cloth sheet while water was bended through it, straining out the ocean salts that made healing more difficult and painful. Every last drop of fresh water was put to use healing burned crewmen, and Yue was content to do her part helping the healers.

But as she worked Yue couldn't help but worry about Sokka, having a gut feeling that told her something was wrong. _Come back to me,_ she thought, hoping that would happen when it was over.

* * *

><p>"This has to be the most wrong thing I have ever seen."<p>

Sokka was standing on a hill to the west of Minara, where the morning sun had just finished rising over the horizon. Far off in the distance he could see the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, and could just barely make out the Fire Nation drill still parked near it. But much closer was the outpost's tower marking its place in the landscape, surrounded by the buildings used by the soldiers and the civilian tents that circled the outpost. But it wasn't the outpost's presence this deep in the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation circus next to it that had Sokka complaining, it was the force that was invading Minara.

Three dozen Dai Li agents were approaching Minara from the west, each walking inside fifteen foot tall sets of stone armor. Leading the slow charge was Toph in her twenty foot tall stone golem, eager to show off the results of her teachings. They made no effort to conceal their approach or use any kind of stealth, instead going for enough sheer brute force to frighten the Fire Nation soldiers ahead. Civilians wisely fled as far as possible from the armored Dai Li, but the military stood their ground with their tanks.

"It's showtime!" Toph announced. She stopped at the outskirts of Minara and the agents stopped as well. Toph turned around and faced the agents, raising one stone arm into the air. "Dai Li: Earthbend and _Combine!_"

Two agents reshaped their armor into a pair of large stone feet, four more agents leaped on top of the large feet while merging their armors into large stone shins. Another four agents leaped into the air while merging their armors into stone thighs, which landed on the stone shins and formed stone knees when they connected together. Five more agents leapt on top while creating a large stone hip, followed by eleven more agents adding a giant stone torso and shoulders. Another four agents leaped up and made a pair of upper arms, followed by another four agents making a set of elbows and wrists. One last pair of agents leaped onto the ends of the large wrists while becoming large stone hands, one of which caught Toph in mid-leap and let her jump again to reach the top.

On top of the stone shoulders Toph reshaped her golem into a large stone head that resembled a blockier version of her own, completing the creation of a hundred and fifty foot tall and sixty foot wide stone colossus. Toph used earthbending to coordinate with the agents spread throughout the colossus, very slightly moving the stone in the direction she wanted and letting the agents do the rest of the earthbending needed to make the colossus move. And she commanded the agents to make the colossus walk towards the outpost, each giant step shaking the ground like a small earthquake.

The power at her command inflated Toph's ego, and the colossus's large and cavernous mouth amplified her voice. "Let's Wipe Them Out!"

Within the shadow of the colossus Sokka stared at the sight. "I stand corrected, _that_ is the most wrong thing I have ever seen."

On the next hill over Jeong Jeong agreed, unable to keep his eyes off the unprecedented feat of earthbending. "Note to self," he muttered. "Give Toph a tile when she turns sixteen."

Despite facing a threat the likes of which they'd never seen before, the Fire Nation soldiers still put up a fight. Firebenders in the tanks shot fire at the colossus's legs, so many of them shooting fire that the combined effort coated the large legs in flame. But the stone was so thick that only the surface was blackened by flame, leaving the agents inside completely unharmed. From further away catapults were quickly loaded and fired, hurling flaming boulders at the colossus that struck its chest. Even then the colossus merely shrugged off the attacks, continuing its slow walk into the outpost.

When the colossus reached enemy lines it casually stepped on one of the tanks, crushing it underfoot like a tin can. Soldiers fled from the path of the colossus's giant steps, desperately trying to avoid getting squished into bloody paste. Drivers shifted the tanks into reverse and drove backwards, keeping ahead of the colossus while firebenders inside continued to shoot fire at it. Tents on the outskirts of Minara were flattened and pressed into the ground by the giant steps, all of which were empty as the owners had already fled.

A dozen giant steps brought the colossus to Minara's defense wall, where it stopped with half a dozen tanks crushed under its feet. The colossus reached down with both hands and grabbed onto the top of the wall, metal screeching as it crumpled in clenching stone hands. Then the colossus pulled up and tore a chunk of the wall out of the ground, ripping open an eighty foot wide gap. Soldiers stationed on the wall jumped off as the chunk was raised into the air, while soldiers on the ground saw the colossus throw the wall chunk into the outpost, slamming into several buildings and demolishing them.

Far behind the colossus Sokka and Jeong Jeong casually walked into the path of destruction, finding the affected area abandoned by the Fire Nation. "They're quite a devastator, aren't they?" Sokka said.

Jeong Jeong didn't respond, as his attention was focused on the rampage happening up ahead. He couldn't help but wonder what Toph might do with the Dai Li after the war, doubting that they would go their separate ways once it was over. Such power was hard for anyone to give up voluntarily, and too much power could corrupt anyone. Part of him feared that they had just unleashed a force that the world wasn't ready to handle, one that could become a problem if it wasn't countered now.

But Sokka didn't share those fears, trusting Toph completely. His thoughts turned to how the others were faring in their fights, especially with what his sister was going to be facing. "Let's hope that Katara and Aang are doing just as well as Toph."

* * *

><p>Two sky bison were flying near the western coast of the Earth Kingdom, where the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon. Below them were hundreds of stone pillars that seemed to rise up from the ground, marking the location as the Wulong Forest. This was where the big burn of the continent was supposed to begin, according to Azula's knowledge of Zuko's plans. But the skies to the west were completely clear, and time was running out before Sozin's Comet.<p>

"Something's wrong," Aang said, pulling on Appa's reins to get him to slow down. "Zuko should be here by now."

Katara glared at the other sky bison, immediately suspecting betrayal from Azula and Ty Lee. "She'd better have a good explanation."

Aang guided Appa over to the other sky bison, having him fly side by side with Anya. There Aang leaped across the gap between bison and landed in the other saddle, leaving Katara behind to hold onto Appa's reins. Then he faced Azula, slightly annoyed that she was wearing the same blue oni mask that Iroh had worn when freeing him from prison. Even though he didn't like it Aang understood why Azula was wearing the mask and had a black hood covering her hair, so that her identity could be concealed from the firebenders that would be escorting Zuko.

"Your brother's not here," Aang said.

"I've noticed," Azula said.

"This better not be a trap," Aang warned.

"If it was you'd have been caught in it already," Azula said. "No, Zuko must have changed his plans after I left."

"So where is he?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula stood up and paced around the saddle, trying to anticipate her brother's movements. "He must have found another route to Ba Sing Se." She stopped pacing and took out a map of the world, which she pinned into the saddle. With one finger she traced a direct line from the Fire Nation Capital to Ba Sing Se, which crossed over the Wulong Forest. "But what route could be faster than a straight line?"

"Hang on a sec," Aang said. He unpinned the map and put the left and right ends together, then crumbled the top so that all of its edge met in the middle, turning the map into a crude globe. Then he traced a different direct line from the Fire Nation Capital to Ba Sing Se. "There's your faster route, he's flying over the North Pole."

"Which Zuko already conquered and won't slow him down," Azula added. She cursed and slammed a fist into the saddle. "We're nowhere near him!"

"And the comet's nearly here," Aang said.

Suddenly the sky to the east turned deep red, which quickly spread across the heavens. The rising sun faded away as a new light source outshined it, which appeared to be a giant ball of fire with a tail of flames behind it. Clouds in front of the fire were pushed aside, swept away in the path of the inferno. With its arrival the temperature began to climb all over the world, granting the power of a hundred suns to every firebender on Earth.

"Correction," Azula said. "Sozin's Comet is here."

_A/N: Any similarities this chapter and the next two have to Legend of Korra's latest episode are purely coincidental. I was not expecting the final battle to be fought on a titanic scale. I'd be more specific, but spoilers._


	39. The Comet: Part Two

Chapter 38: The Comet: Part Two

Into The Inferno

After one hundred years of soaring through the cosmos, Sozin's Comet flew into the atmosphere of the third rock from the sun once again. The ball of ice and rock ignited in the air, gradually burning off the outer layer and leaving a trail of fire behind it. Gravity's pull was countered by the extremely shallow angle of the comet's trajectory, allowing it to bounce off the planet's atmosphere after a relatively brief skim through the higher layers. Orbital resonance with the sun and the planets kept the comet in a stable orbit, ensuring that it would meet the same world every one hundred years throughout its lifetime.

For this one day in a century the planet's sky was a deep red, while the burning comet outshined the sun. Its presence heated up the world below, saturating it with the energy that fueled firebending. Every last firebender in the world felt the power of a hundred suns, immensely tipping the balance of power in their favor. This was the opportunity of a lifetime to reshape the world in fire, one that the Avatar had no choice but to stop.

Avatar Aang was currently standing in Anya's saddle with Azula and Ty Lee, but he immediately jumped off the side to get back into Appa's saddle where Katara was waiting. "We have to get moving, now!"

Katara handed over the reins to Aang, letting him take over guiding the sky bison. "Where are we going?"

"Ba Sing Se," Aang answered, already making Appa turn to the east. "I just hope we can get there before Zuko does."

* * *

><p>Far to the northeast a fleet of eleven sky bison was flying south towards the Earth Kingdom, having bypassed most of the continent by flying over the top of the world. Only a few hours earlier they finished a rest stop in the ruins of the Northern Water Tribe's frozen city, currently being rebuilt into a refueling station for the navy. Soldiers stationed there still didn't know what to make of the strange oasis located there, only that Zuko didn't want anyone messing with it until he had the time to study it himself.<p>

Now the northern shore of the Earth Kingdom was on the southern horizon, while only small islands were scattered across the seas below. Fire Lord Zuko stood in the center of the saddle he was in, taking in the view of Sozin's Comet in the eastern sky. At first he took in deep breaths of warming air, feeling the comet's warmth increasing his power. And he couldn't wait to use it on a large island directly ahead.

"Time for a test run," Zuko said.

During the rest stop at the a wide metal platforms had been attached to the sky bison's horns, complete with a safety harnesses to allow a person to safely stand in the air while having none of the sky bison's flesh or fur underneath. Zuko climbed onto that platform and attached the safety harness to his clothes, doing so as quickly as possible in case a strong breeze tried to blow him off. There he could look down directly ahead without having the sky bison's head in the way, truly seeing the world from a bird's eye view.

When the large island was close enough Zuko aimed one palm at the near shore, concentrating his enhanced power into his hand. A cone of heat stretched out of his palm and was pointed at the land below, then ignited into a massive plume of fire that burned its way down to the island's shore. Fire spread from the shore across the island, burning down forests that covered most of the land. The burn was accelerated by the sky bison moving Zuko and his firebending forward, making his plume of fire cut across the island and burn down everything in its path. Zuko stopped firebending when his fire hit the far shore, but the island continued to burn until everything on it was reduced to ash, the burning stopped only by the confines of the island's shores.

From the front of the saddle and looking over the side Mai watched Zuko burn down the large island, glad to be on this end of Zuko's firebending. Even from so high up in the air she could feel the heat rising from the burning land below. "Is this what you were expecting?"

"Everything and more," Zuko answered, clenching his hand into a fist. He turned his eyes on the horizon ahead, where he could see the Earth Kingdom continent approaching. "Ba Sing Se, here we come."

* * *

><p>To the south the battle for Minara was nearly lost, from the perspective of the Fire Nation defenders. The one hundred and fifty foot tall stone colossus was crushing building after building and tank after tank under its feet, steadily walking in a straight line for the tower in the center of the outpost. It was only a few streets away from the tower when Sozin's Comet arrived, a sight that could not be seen by the blind girl commanding the Dai Li agents inside the colossus. In the outskirts of the outpost Sokka and Jeong Jeong watched the colossus work, wondering how Toph would respond to the more powerful firebenders.<p>

On the ground a captain rallied the troops that remained near the tower, now that they had access to enhanced firebending. "Go For The Feet!" he ordered. "Give It Everything You've Got!"

Dozens of firebenders surrounded the colossus and attacked at the same time, each shooting thick plumes of fire that converged on the colossus's feet. The sheer volume of fire surprised even the firebenders, covering the colossus's legs in fire and rising up to its torso. At first the colossus ignored the fire that burned its lower half, the agents inside shielded from the flames. Gradually the intense heat of the fire seeped through the rock and reached the agents, beginning to cook them alive.

As the temperature rose it became increasingly difficult for the Dai Li agents to concentrate on earthbending. Their responses to Toph's commands became slow and sluggish, making the colossus's steps more rigid and much shorter. One by one the agents in the legs passed out in the heat, bringing the colossus to a halt just in front of the tower.

"Keep Pouring It On!" the captain ordered, keeping up his own firebending attack.

Even from her position in the colossus's head Toph felt some of the heat coming from below, as well as noticing that the agents in the legs weren't responding to her commands anymore. Toph quickly earthbended some narrow shafts into the rock beneath her feet, allowing her to speak directly to the agents in the torso.

"Get those guys out of the legs!" Toph yelled.

Agents in the torso got to work rescuing their comrades in the legs, sinking into the hot rock to grab passed out agents and then rising back up into cooler rock above. In moments the legs and hip of the colossus were abandoned, leaving it unable to walk any further. Fire continued to burn against the legs and heated up the rock inside, making it start to crack and crumble under the strain. But that wasn't going to stop Toph from getting one last attack done with the colossus.

The colossus's arms reached forward and grabbed hold of the tower just ahead, squeezing its hands hard enough to make the metal walls crumple inward. Once it had a good grip the colossus pulled on the tower and tore off two large chunks of wall, exposing the interior on several floors. Then it threw the chunks of wall away and into the firebenders below, momentarily disrupting their attacks as the metal crashed into the street. The colossus clenched its hands into fists and punched with both of them, hitting the exposed interior and crushing it inward. The fists were pulled out only to punch again and again, burying the colossus's forearms inside the tower on the fifth strike.

Suddenly large cracks spread through the colossus's legs, finally starting to break apart after being baked in thick flames. Those cracks allowed the flames to spread deeper into the legs and accelerate the heating of the rock, widening the cracks and weakening the stability of the colossus. Scorched chunks of rock broke off in the heat, further weakening the colossus to a critical point. One leg shattered into hundreds of pieces, putting all of the colossus's weight on the remaining leg and breaking it apart a second later.

Right when the colossus started to fall its hands grabbed hold of the tower's central support pillar, wrapping its fingers around it and holding onto it. The front of the colossus slammed into the side of the tower, making a deep dent in the metal and shaking the entire tower all the way down to its foundations. All of the colossus's weight was applied to the central pillar, _sideways_.

Never intended to withstand sheer lateral force, the central pillar buckled towards the colossus's side of the tower, compromising the entire structural integrity of the tower. Metal screeched as it tore apart throughout the tower, glass windows shattered as their frames twisted out of shape, and the ground broke open as the foundations were ripped up and out of bedrock. The entire tower tipped over and fell apart as it dropped into the streets of Minara, right on top of the colossus and the earthbenders inside.

"TOPH!" Sokka screamed as he saw the tower fall. The impact shook the ground for miles around, and at the edge of the outpost Sokka was knocked off his feet. When he got back up Sokka saw a cloud of dust rising from the rubble, which settled onto a pile of very still metal. With no regard for his own safety Sokka ran towards the rubble that covered his friend, praying to whatever spirits would listen that Toph was still alive.

* * *

><p>On the western shore morning finally came for the Fire Nation controlled port, though it was difficult to notice with the comet outshining the sun. The red sky above was matched by its reflection in the sea below, making the blue sails of the Water Tribe ships stand out when everything else was in shades of red and orange. Still the Water Tribe had most of the port under their control, having wrecked more than half of the Fire Nation ships already.<p>

But now the firebenders had all the power they needed to overcome their disadvantage on the sea, more than making up for their damaged fleet with sheer firepower. Plumes of flame arced over the water between ships, each one requiring the effort of several waterbenders to extinguish before it could hit a ship. Even then the heat of the flames reached the Water Tribe ships, melting ice off the hulls and sails faster than it could be replaced.

"Fall Back!" Hakoda ordered. He saw one ship get hit by a plume of flame, which punched through the hull and set the ship ablaze before it sunk. Hakoda gave a series of hand signals for the man in the crow's nest to relay to the fleet, but also yelled in case he couldn't be seen. "Get the wind in those sails! Get everyone out of here!"

As quickly as they could the Water Tribe ships changed course, but it was slow going as they were still fighting off the Fire Nation. The ships closest to the enemy had the hardest time changing direction, taking the heaviest fire while the crews scrambled to get the ships moving. Wooden hulls were scorched, sails were ignited, and crewmen were burned by the half dozen. One by one the ships burned and sank beneath the waves, and Hakoda's ship came closer and closer to the line of fire.

Nearby Pakku did his best to shield Hakoda's ship from firebender attacks, weaving his water cyclone in the way and blocking the flames. Pakku knew that Princess Yue was aboard that ship, and had promised her late father that he'd protect her. Right now Pakku valued Yue's safety above his own, compelling him to get that ship out of the port as quickly as possible. Pakku lowered his water cyclone until he was just above the water's surface, then put all of his power into creating a strong but narrow wave. Pushing the water pushed everything floating on it, which took hold of Hakoda's ship and carried it into the open ocean many times faster than it could sail.

However Pakku's efforts left him vulnerable to an attack from behind, which a firebender did not hesitate to exploit. A plume of flame hit Pakku in the back, searing into his flesh there while the rest of him was covered in fire. Pakku's concentration broke and he plummeted into the sea, putting out the flames that burned him while sinking in the water. Pain prevented him from focusing on waterbending, and burned flesh kept him from swimming to the surface.

But before he could sink to the bottom a length of kelp twisted and wrapped around Pakku's waist, courtesy of Huu and his plant monster swimming underwater. Huu had a pocket of air that was maintained by a tight seal of the kelp that formed his monster, while his wooden mask had clear ice over it so he could still see. Huu made the monster's arms grab Pakku and lift him back up to the surface, quickly followed by the rest of it. Then Huu made his way to the nearest ship, climbing aboard before seeing Pakku down on the deck.

Huu let his plant monster fall apart onto the ship's deck, having no need for it at the moment. "Healer!" he yelled, needing to get Pakku some medical attention. He could only hope that one would get there in time.

* * *

><p>The flight across the continent felt like an eternity, no matter how fast Appa or Anya flew from west to east. Even with the prevailing winds of the far north adding to their speed the trip seemed to take too much time, each passing second seeming like they would be too late. The scariest part was not knowing just how far away Zuko was from Ba Sing Se, and the entirely real possibility that he had already beaten them there.<p>

"Come on… Come on…" Aang muttered, watching more and more land roll over the eastern horizon, wishing for Ba Sing Se to appear. For too long it seemed like the mountains would never end, but eventually flat plains began. Then he saw part of a giant wall, the top appearing first while the bottom was hidden behind the curvature of the Earth. "There!"

Just to the north on the horizon, too far away to accurately tell distance, there was a bright light that almost matched the comet above. "Aang, I think that's a problem," Katara said, pointing it out for him.

Immediately Aang changed Appa's course, turning just slightly to the left and heading straight for the light on the horizon. Over time the light and the distant wall appeared to get further and further apart, revealing that they were still much farther away than the two places were from each other. As they got closer the light got larger and wider, splitting into several sources that had shined as one from afar. And once they were close enough to see what those light sources were, Aang's blood started to boil in righteous fury.

In a wide V formation was the sky bison fleet, with Fire Lord Zuko in front. Each bison had a set of four metal platforms extending from their saddles and arranged like the corners of a square, while each platform had a firebender standing on it and secured with a harness. And each firebender was shooting a giant plume of fire at the ground ahead, all forty of them and Zuko burning down land in a path over a mile wide. The front of the burning earth still had some distance to cover before reaching Ba Sing Se, but at Appa's current speed Aang couldn't stop it in time.

Aang readied his glider and held on tight with both hands. Wind swirled all around him, building up air pressure that Aang kept in check. When he was ready Aang released the pressure into the glider to launch himself into flight, soaring away from Appa with a burst of speed. Adding his own speed to Appa's sent Aang flying far faster than he had ever flown before, so fast that the wind felt like it cut into his skin. The glider vibrated so much under the strain that Aang feared it would tear itself apart, as it was never meant to fly that fast.

From his metal platform all Zuko saw ahead of time was movement to his right, drawing his gaze in that direction for a second. Seemingly coming out of nowhere Aang slammed into Zuko so hard that his safety harness snapped instantly, producing a loud crack sound that was heard throughout the sky bison fleet. Aang's glider shattered into pieces of wood and fabric while Zuko's firebending stopped instantly, followed by both of them tumbling through the air and down towards the ground.

Mai's eyes went wide at the sight of Zuko being yanked off the platform. "The hell was that?"

Both Aang and Zuko were disoriented after their collision, tumbling around while falling out of the sky. To their eyes the ground spun round and round while the wall to the south and the massive fires switched places again and again, all while red skies and red-lit ground made it harder to tell which way was up. It wasn't until the ground started coming up way too fast that Aang and Zuko reoriented themselves, then they started bending to slow themselves down.

First Aang used a few small gusts of wind in strategic directions to get himself upright, and when he was falling feet first Aang summoned a gale that blew straight up all around him, slowing him down with wind resistance. Meanwhile Zuko used some small fireblasts to reorient himself, and then he blasted fire from his hands and feet straight down to generate enough thrust to slow down. At the same time they landed safely, discovering that they had drifted several miles to the east during the fall.

With the city wall to his left and his enemy in front, Aang locked eyes with Zuko. Aang walked towards Zuko, but didn't say a word.

Zuko didn't like the silence, expecting something a little more grand from the Avatar. "Well come on Avatar let's hear it, the whole 'destiny and honor' speech."

"Speech _this_!" Aang said, throwing an uppercut that earthbended rock up into Zuko's face and knocking him back.

Right away Zuko recovered from the blow, and wiped a small trickle of blood from his lip. "Alright then," Zuko muttered, accepting Aang's challenge.

Zuko punched towards Aang to shoot a plume of fire at him, which hit stone as Aang earthbended a column of it straight up to get out of the way. From higher ground Aang broke off a large chunk of it and threw it down at Zuko, which missed when Zuko rolled to the side. Coming out of his roll Zuko swept a leg up in the air to make a wide arc of fire that burned its way towards Aang, but he shot his own fire into Zuko's to disperse it. But while Aang countered the attack Zuko shot fire into the base of Aang's stone column, weakening it enough with heat to make it collapse.

As Aang fell off the broken column he used air currents to guide his descent, as well as blow a strong gale directly at Zuko. The gale pushed Zuko back and held him off long enough for Aang to reach the ground, where he punched it to earthbend a crack into the ground that quickly stretched towards Zuko and ran in between his feet. Then Aang clenched his fists and pulled them apart, earthbending the ground to split the crack wide open underneath Zuko. Zuko got both feet on one side of the widening crack before he could fall in, getting right in the path of Aang's next earthbending attack.

When he saw a boulder about to hit him Zuko kicked with his feet and firebended with them, shooting thick flames from his feet that pushed him up and into the air. He rocketed up and out of the boulder's path, and kept going even higher. When he was a few dozen feet up Zuko stopped and stood on top of pillars of flame, and from there he blasted more fire down towards Aang. The fire missed as Aang dodged the attack, but still set the land ablaze where Aang used to be.

Aang earthbended another column of stone under his feet that rose up so fast it launched him into the air, and he used airbending to control his ascent towards Zuko. Along the way Aang firebended at Zuko, and as Aang expected he saw Zuko dodge the attack. With a gust of wind to push him in the right direction Aang went straight for Zuko, colliding in midair with Aang punching Zuko's face. Momentary pain broke Zuko's focus on his firebending and made him fall to the ground, while Aang gently drifted down on a cushion of air.

After rolling along the ground to cushion his fall Zuko got back up again, and was about to firebend when he noticed something wrong. That's when he realized that he was wasting time fighting Aang here, and that a change of scenery was in order to tip the scales in his favor. Zuko threw fire at Aang that he knew was not going to hit, just to keep Aang busy blocking or dodging. With that small window of time Zuko blasted fire from his feet to take to the air, and with fire from his hands Zuko steered his flight towards the south.

Once he was finished stopping the attack with his own flames Aang saw where Zuko was going, straight for the wall in the distance. "No No No," Aang muttered, taking to the air by mimicking Zuko's firebending, racing to catch up before they'd reach Ba Sing Se.

* * *

><p>Far to the southwest firebenders organized their defense of a colonial village, now ready to properly repel the earthbenders and Kyoshi Warriors attempting to take it. With the comet's power their firebending easily outmatched their enemy's earthbending, allowing them to incinerate thrown stone blocks long before any could hit them. Fighting with weapons wasn't an option anymore as well, as the Kyoshi Warriors couldn't get close enough to use their war fans without getting burned.<p>

"Retreat!" Haru ordered, knowing that this fight could not be won. But that was never the point, as pushing back the Fire Nation through a third of the village was victory enough. Now all they had to do was slow down the Fire Nation's advance, make them waste time retaking the village.

In groups of five the earthbenders started raising thick stone walls in front of the firebenders, momentarily cutting them off from the fight. Intense fires on one side quickly scorched the rock, making it crumble under the stress. Once the walls fell firebenders put out any remaining flames and then charged over the remains, pursing a foe that had already retreated through several streets. But by the time the firebenders got within firing range the earthbenders threw up more stone walls, forcing the firebenders to stop and burn them down as well.

All too soon the retreat reached the eastern edge of the village, wasting less of the firebenders' time than Haru and Suki wanted. Outside the village they would be out in the open, where the firebenders could use the full power of the comet without having to worry about damaging buildings. Adding to their troubles was the arrival of Fire Nation tanks from the south, driving the retreat towards the northeast.

Once all of the earthbenders and warriors were outside the village, Haru turned towards the hill that they had used to launch their attack. "Now!" he ordered.

Four Fire Nation deserters emerged from behind the hill and attacked, using their own firebending against the enemy. Their thick flames collided with flames coming from the tanks, stopping each other before any fire could hit anyone. The deserters held off the enemy and covered the retreat, allowing Haru and Suki to lead their forces towards the nearby river with the dam directly ahead.

When the retreat was near the replacement dam under construction one earthbender ran beside Haru and Suki. "Now can we break the dam?" the earthbender asked, seeing it up ahead.

"How many times must I…"

An explosion directly ahead cut off Haru, echoing across the landscape for miles. Smoke rose in the distance up ahead, quickly dispersing in the red sky. Everyone expected to hear the roar of flames coming at them, but instead they heard the sound of raging floodwaters. All eyes looked forward, seeing that the dam had been blown open and the river unleashed.

Haru cursed under his breath. "Who gave the order to blow the dam?!"

"I don't think it was ours," Suki said, seeing a wall of water heading straight for them.

"Everyone, Wall, _Now!_" Haru ordered.

All of the earthbenders rallied together, bending the same stretch of ground in front of them. Together they raised a wall ten feet thick, fifty feet high, and two hundred feet long. The wall was in place just in time for the rushing water to slam into it, hitting with more than enough force to crack the wall in several places and spray water through the other side. And at the ends of the wall water flowed freely around it, cutting off any escape to the left or the right.

"Not good, this is not good," Suki said, turning around to see more firebenders in pursuit.

With their own stone wall in front, raging waters on the sides, and supercharged fire behind, it was quite clear that they were trapped. "We hold the line here!" Haru ordered. "Backs to the wall, try to use the water!"

Everyone turned around and faced the firebenders approaching, which were funneled in between the divided river. They still had a moment before battle could be joined, which Suki knew that it could very well be their last. "We're all going to die, aren't we?"

"It happens," Haru said. He stomped on the ground to bend stone up from it, which he then used to encase himself in a twenty foot tall stone titan. "But miracles happen too."

* * *

><p>On jets of fire Zuko flew towards Ba Sing Se, planning to battle Aang there so he could defeat the Avatar and burn down the city at the same time. Behind him and on his own jets of fire Aang chased Zuko across the sky, and was quickly closing the gap between them. Having more flight experience and access to airbending gave Aang the advantage in the sky, even when the form of flight was unfamiliar to him. Zuko's head start only lasted until he reached the outer wall, when Aang got close enough to throw a gust of wind hard enough to knock Zuko off course.<p>

Zuko fell out of the sky and landed on the outer wall, scorching part of the top with the flames he used to control his landing. Zuko saw Aang approach and shot fire at him, forcing Aang to change course to avoid getting burned. Aang landed nearby and earthbended a large brick out of the wall and threw it at Zuko, but missed when Zuko leaped towards the wall's inner side. Before Zuko could reach the inner side Aang punched to firebend a large wall of fire that burned along the wall's edge, cutting off Zuko's path for the moment.

After seeing that the wall of fire was on Aang's right, Zuko blasted fire back at him but deliberately missed, letting his flames shoot past Aang's left. Then Zuko shot fire straight at Aang, while his earlier attack was still burning and cutting off that direction. Aang shot his own fire directly into Zuko's attack, letting the opposing flames clash in the middle. The heat from the clashing flames was so intense that rock underneath started to melt, forming a puddle of molten rock that spread towards very vulnerable feet.

At the same time Zuko and Aang stopped firebending and backed away from the spreading molten rock, as well as get a small breather before continuing the fight. But their fire battle on the wall had been a giant signal flare to everything in the sky, revealing their location to the sky bison fleet. Nearly all of the bison pilots ignored it and stuck to their orders, which were to keep burning the Earth Kingdom even if the Fire Lord wasn't with them. The sole exception was Mai, who lacked a firebender and could not participate in the big burn.

The roar of her sky bison gave away Mai's approach, getting Zuko and Aang's attention. Hot on her tail was Appa with Katara, trying to intercept Mai and stop her from interfering. Mai ignored the pursuit and had her bison dive towards Zuko, and she took a second to grab something important. It was a sheath with a pair of dao swords inside, which had been left in the saddle since it wasn't proper for the Fire Lord to be armed.

"Zuko! Catch!" Mai yelled when she was close enough, and she threw the sheathed swords at him.

With a high spin kick Aang airbended a gust of wind just over Zuko's head, hitting the sheathed swords and knocking them away from Zuko's reaching hand. The weapons fell off the inner side of the wall, tumbling down towards the ground very far below. That didn't stop Zuko from jumping off the wall and diving after his swords, blasting fire from his feet to accelerate his descent. Aang ran towards the inner side to follow, but stopped just in time to pull his head back and watch a knife fly in front of his eyes.

From her bison Mai threw more knives at Aang, aiming for where she expected Aang to be when her attacks could hit. In addition to her regular supply of knives hidden in her clothes Mai had hundreds of knife-filled leather sacks lining the saddle, a small fortune in thrown weaponry. Mai threw knife after knife at Aang until one of her knives was knocked off course by a thrown dagger made of ice, courtesy of Katara approaching on Appa.

"Go!" Katara yelled.

Aang didn't need to be told twice. He ran off the inner side of the wall and dived through open air, seeing Zuko already near the bottom and still falling. Zuko caught up with his falling swords and grabbed them by the sheath with one hand, and then quickly spun around to get his feet below him and blast fire down to slow his fall. He saw Aang in pursuit and threw a large fireball at him, which Aang dodged by using some wind to push himself out of the way.

When Zuko reached the ground the flames he used to control his landing set the land ablaze, for now burning a small portion of the Agrarian Zone. When Zuko set foot on solid ground it was blackened and scarred, while wildfires began to burn fields of crops all around him. Nearby Aang landed and earthbended a landslide's worth of sand out of the ground and dumped it on top of the fires between him and Zuko, snuffing out the fires and giving Aang a clear view of Zuko.

In his free hand Zuko grabbed the handles of his swords and drew them both, then threw away the sheath into one of the fires burning behind him. Gripping the handles in both hands Zuko pulled the swords apart, channeling his firebending into the weapons. Both swords burst into flames that grew to five times the length of the blades, shaped like larger versions of the weapons in their cores. And then Zuko smirked.

"Now then, let's try this again."

* * *

><p>"TOPH!"<p>

Sokka's screams echoed through the streets of Minara, most of which were deserted after the tower collapsed. At the moment the Fire Nation troops were disorganized and scattered, as well as severely demoralized after witnessing the destruction of Minara's distinguishing structure. At first Sokka was able to run straight towards the remains of the tower, all the while hoping that Toph would dig herself out of it. Hope turned to fear when a wall of fire cut him off, created by a firebender that had expected Sokka to run right into it.

Instinctively Sokka reached for a weapon to throw at the firebender, but his hand only grabbed air behind his back, and he cursed at the reminder of his destroyed boomerang. Then he saw the firebender punch towards him, shooting a plume fire straight at him. With nothing to duck behind for cover Sokka thought he was about to die, but then another plume of fire came down from above and intercepted the firebender's attack, clashing in the street with none of the flames reaching Sokka.

Looking up for the source of the second set of flames, Sokka saw Jeong Jeong standing on pillars of fire high above the street. "You're _flying?!_"

Jeong Jeong shot more fire down into the street, overwhelming the firebender that had tried to kill Sokka. More fire followed as Jeong Jeong struck down every firebender and soldier in the immediate area, but he left the path forward clear for Sokka. "What are you waiting for?!" Jeong Jeong yelled, seeing that Sokka was standing still. "Go!"

With the path clear Sokka resumed his run through the outpost, quickly reaching the remains of the tower. Piles of twisted metal on top of crumbling stone were all that was left, and Sokka climbed over much of it to get on the largest pile that he believed Toph to be buried under. There he started digging into the rubble, pushing the larger pieces of metal out of the way and throwing away the smaller pieces.

"Come on Toph, earthbend already," Sokka said, even though he doubted she could hear him. He kept digging into the rubble anyway, thinking that the noise and vibration from it would wake her. When he had dug down a few feet in the crumbling stone Sokka found a flat and smooth surface underneath. "Toph, are you in there?"

Sokka started slamming his fist on the flat surface, which felt very solid to his hand. But then several cracks crisscrossed through it, which then shattered into stone pieces that hit Sokka and tossed him back. He tumbled down the side of the pile all the way to the bottom, but quickly got back up and climbed his way back to where he'd been digging. And when he got there he found Toph inside a broken shell of rock, lying on her back while her fist fell onto her chest.

Weak groans escaped from Toph, while she looked barely conscious. "Daddy… I don't want to go to school today…"

"Oh that better just be a dream," Sokka muttered. He hurried into the broken shell, which he figured was how Toph protected herself during the collapse. Sokka picked up Toph in his arms and carried her out, trying to get her to safer ground.

The safest spot he could find nearby was where large pieces of the tower's metal wall had gotten stuck upright in the ground, and each piece was several times larger than a person. Sokka used those upright pieces for shelter and put Toph down behind them, even though it wasn't completely safe. Then Sokka propped up smaller pieces of twisted metal to reinforce the improvised shelter, to make it harder to fall over on top of them.

In the time it took for Sokka to work Toph slowly recovered, sitting upright and rubbing her head. "What hit me?" she muttered, feeling rather sore at the moment.

Hearing Toph's voice made Sokka sigh in relief. "That was something very crazy you did back there."

"Yeah, well, I get it from you," Toph said. She got on her feet and walked over to Sokka. "So did we win?"

"This battle," Sokka answered. "The war? I have no idea."

Out of the sky Jeong Jeong descended and landed behind the shelter. "I've driven them back for now, but the enemy is regrouping and will be back."

"How in the world did you just appear like that?" Toph complained.

"He flew in," Sokka explained.

"Oh," Toph muttered.

"There's more bad news," Jeong Jeong said. He pointed to the northeast, where the light of a huge fire could reach them. "It appears that Fire Lord Zuko is closer to Ba Sing Se than we anticipated."

"Then we have to help Aang," Sokka insisted.

"And how do you propose we get there in time?" Toph asked. "We're fresh out of sky bison."

Sokka turned to Jeong Jeong. "Can you fly while carrying two passengers?"

"If you wish to tie my hands, then yes," Jeong Jeong answered.

"Big problem with that plan," Toph added. "I can't do jack squat in the air."

"Right…" Sokka muttered. He started pacing around in a circle with one hand on his chin, trying to think of a way to correct those problems. A glance towards the fire in the distance let Sokka see many flocks of birds flying away from it, all fleeing the destruction of their natural habitat. "I got something, but I don't think you're going to like it."

"Is it big, dangerous, and likely to get us all killed?" Toph asked.

"Yup," Sokka answered.

Toph smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

><p>Dodging fire became a lot more difficult for Aang, now that it was in the form of wide arcs thrown from burning swords. Fast leaps and jumps kept him just out of harm's way, and the terrain all around him suffered instead. Yet it seemed like Zuko didn't care if any of his attacks hit Aang, as when they missed they still struck and burned down crops and fields by the acre. Gradually Zuko burned a path southward through the Agrarian Zone, pushing Aang back towards the inner wall.<p>

Halfway through the space between walls Aang got sick of being on the defensive. Aang bended stone up from the ground and covered himself in it, which he then shaped into a set of ten foot tall stone armor. Long legs let him leap high into the air before coming back down on top of Zuko, throwing a punch straight down with a stone fist. Zuko leapt to the side and let the punch hit the spot he used to be, making a small crater on impact.

With the other stone fist Aang punched towards Zuko, even though he wasn't close enough to hit. Firebending within the stone arm broke off its stone fist and launched it at Zuko, rocking through the air like a missile. The flying fist hit Zuko in the chest and tossed him back, breaking his concentration and extinguishing his swords while he tumbled along the ground.

But Zuko didn't stay down for long. Aang was nearly on top of him when Zuko got back on his feet and reignited his swords, swinging both of them into the stone armor's legs at the last moment. The strike shattered the stone legs and Aang's momentum carried him over Zuko to fall on the other side, plowing into the dirt and leaving a short gouge in the ground. Zuko saw Aang replace the missing pieces of his armor with new stone, then stand up again to face Zuko.

Zuko swung his burning swords around him in wide circles, making the flames grow and twist into each other to form a ring of fire. With one swift swing Zuko threw the ring of fire outward in every direction, hitting Aang and covering his armor in fire. The heat was so intense that the stone began to crumble, and by the time the flames had passed Aang's armor shattered. More fire followed the attack and Aang defended himself by making a sphere of rock around himself, one thick enough to withstand the heat.

Pressing his advantage Zuko swung his swords underneath Aang's rock sphere, breaking through softer earth between it and the ground. Then he thrust both swords towards Aang with the blade tips touching, firing a powerful plume of fire from the swords directly into Aang's defense. The plume blasted away the rock sphere with Aang still inside it, launching it across the land towards the inner wall. The rock sphere bounced off the ground several times before it cracked open like an egg, spilling Aang out just short of the wall.

As Aang recovered he saw Zuko pursing him, flying on flames from his feet while his swords burned through the air like the wings of a phoenix. When Zuko closed in he brought down both swords and struck the ground, unleashing a narrow wave of fire towards Aang. The fire missed when Aang dodged but it continued on to the wall, crashing against solid rock and burning up to the top, leaving a dark scorch mark in the wall.

Aang put his back against the wall and slammed both fists into it, earthbending twin cracks that ran all the way to the top. Another strike broke off a long slab of stone ten feet thick, and Aang pulled down on it with earthbending. At the last second Aang got out of the way while earthbending the falling slab towards Zuko, expecting him to dodge it and in the process leave himself open to an attack.

Instead Zuko threw both of his swords into the falling slab, slicing into the rock while the weapons still burned. Fire from the swords burned into cracks made by the penetrating blades, heating the rock inside so fast that the entire slab shattered. Small pieces of rock rained down over the nearby area, prompting Aang to raise a stone shield to protect himself from it. But then Aang heard an unmistakable sound…

Lightning

Zuko was charging a bolt of lightning larger than any he had ever used before, drawing on the comet's power to amplify its strength. When he fired it seemed less like artificial lightning and more like the real thing from a storm, booming with thunder heard for miles. Lightning struck in the exact spot that Aang had pulled the stone slab from, an ever so slightly weaker part of the inner wall. On contact the lightning exploded so fiercely that it tore down part of the wall, leaving a large gash wide enough for several tanks to pass through at once.

"Well that seemed unnecessary," Aang muttered.

* * *

><p>On the open seas the Water Tribe fleet, or what was left of it, was trying to outrun the Fire Nation ships pursuing it from the port. The Water Tribe had the wind in their sails and enough waterbenders to shape the seas in their favor, but the Fire Nation had powerful engines and hulls shaped to cut through the water with ease. And while the Fire Nation had suffered greater losses to their fleet in the battle, the Water Tribe had fewer ships to begin with. Slowly but surely the Fire Nation ships were catching up with the Water Tribe, and soldiers onboard were firebending whenever a target came within range.<p>

Inside one of the middle Water Tribe ships healers were at work treating the wounded, most of which had burns of varying severity. Some of the healers gasped when they saw Pakku being carried inside the room they worked in, fearing the loss of one of their best waterbenders. Pakku was unceremoniously dropped into a tub filled with water, right in front of the best healer Yugoda.

"Oh you had better not die now," Yugoda muttered, putting her hands in the water to begin healing. All of the water in the tub began to glow a light blue, which was strongest around the burns on Pakku's back. Yugoda knew that Kanna would never forgive her if Pakku died in her care, not before Kanna could watch Pakku struggle to figure out who she was.

After a few short minutes Pakku gasped for air, while his eyes darted back and forth to see where he was. He calmed down when he saw Yugoda at work on his burned body, which still hurt in spite of the healing in progress. "Did… did we make it?"

"Not yet," Yugoda answered. She could only hope that Kanna's son could find a way out for everyone.

Meanwhile Hakoda was on his ship leading the retreat, facing the ship's stern and watching the pursuit. From his viewpoint it seemed that the Fire Nation ships were beginning to sail in a tight and narrow formation, in which the firebenders aboard were starting to hurl fire overhead and overlap their attacks into a blanket of falling fire. They still weren't close enough to hit the Water Tribe fleet, but the distance was quickly shrinking.

But then one ship in the fleet broke away from the Water Tribe, making a sharp turn to the left and starting to circle back towards the Fire Nation ships. The red sails identified it as the pirate ship, with the captain that Hakoda barely knew. "Where is he going?" Hakoda demanded.

Even as he turned his ship back towards the enemy, the pirate captain showed no fear. He didn't bat an eye as his crew started to abandon ship, and even recommended that they ask waterbenders to provide safe passage to the other ships. Because for where he was going the ship did not need its crew, only its captain to ensure that it stayed on course. This was his decision, to meet his end at a time of his choosing.

Besides, the captain never did want to live forever.

At maximum speed the pirate ship sailed straight for the front of the Fire Nation ship formation, and was now unable to stop with its crew having abandoned ship. The captain quickly found his ship under attack from the enemy, seeing large fireblasts hurtling towards his position. Almost immediately the pirate ship was set ablaze, yet continued to sail on a collision course. While the upper decks of the ship burned up the flames took their time to reach the lower parts of the ship, where the pirates had stored their emergency supply of black powder.

Until it was too late the crewmen on the lead Fire Nation ship believed the other ship was playing chicken-possum, refusing to change course when they figured the other ship would turn away first. The pirate ship crashed into the lead Fire Nation ship, breaking apart while it continued to burn. In the chaos fires reached the black powder stashed below deck and set it off, exploding in a giant fireball that consumed what remained of the pirate ship and damaged the Fire Nation ship. The impact and the explosion threw the lead ship off course and slammed into another ship to the left and behind, which them collided with another ship and pushed that ship into another one, and even more ships collided with those before the formation broke apart.

From his ship Hakoda saw it all, shocked that the pirate captain would destroy his own ship like that. And yet the sacrifice paid off, the remaining Fire Nation ships stopped their pursuit to begin rescuing the crews on the crashed ships. Before long the Water Tribe sailed far enough away for the Fire Nation ships to vanish under the horizon, and then everyone on every ship let out a sigh of relief.

That's when the full weight of the battle hit Hakoda, feeling the loss of every life that perished with the ships that they had lost. "My god… what have I done?"

* * *

><p>While the Fire Lord battled the Avatar, the sky bison fleet continued to burn its way towards Ba Sing Se. They still had several miles to go when another sky bison flew straight towards the fleet from the southwest, which the pilots recognized as the bison reported missing. They would have recognized Ty Lee holding the reins, were it not for Azula standing in front of her on the bison's head. While Azula's face was behind the blue oni mask and her hair was hidden under a hood, she wanted to make sure that no one would believe that Princess Azula was here.<p>

After all, everyone knew that the princess only used _blue_ fire.

From her perch on Anya's head Azula aimed a palm at the closest sky bison, focusing her newfound might through her firebending. A colossal plume of fire shot out of her hand and seared towards her target, burning red and orange instead of her signature blue. The bison swerved to get out of the way and the flames just barely missed its fur, but the attack still hit its left side metal platforms and consumed them along with the firebenders standing on them. When the flames passed the metal platforms were reduced to hot slag, with no sign of the two firebenders.

Immediately the sky bison fleet scattered, momentarily stopping their attack on the landscape to focus their attention on the more imminent threat. Plumes of flame crisscrossed through the sky, most of which were concentrated on Anya. Ty Lee had to make her bison twist and turn through the air to avoid the attacks, and yet she also had to keep a steady position for Azula to strike back. Azula had ropes anchoring her feet to Anya's horns, keeping her on the bison even when it would roll upside down to dodge fire.

Though she was going for the heads of the sky bison, Azula's aim was thrown off by Anya's erratic flight path. None of her attacks made direct hits, only grazing bison fur at best. Three bison were set aflame before their firebenders put them out, leaving black scars on white hides. One of the scarred bison also lost a firebender to one of Azula's misplaced attacks, while four unharmed bison lost a firebender each to Azula's fire.

But while she fought Azula kept track of every bison, noticing that one of the eleven was missing. A roar from the south corrected that, and a glance revealed Mai guiding her bison back to the fleet with Katara in pursuit. Azula guessed that Mai didn't want to waste any of her knives on Katara when there were perfectly good firebenders around.

Katara was closing in on Mai and attacking with a pair of long waterwhips, sweeping them back and forth in the shrinking space between Appa and the other sky bison. Mai made her bison rise and drop to avoid the attacks, all while keeping it on course for the fleet. When the two were within range firebenders started attacking Appa, shooting so much fire that Katara had to stop her pursuit. Katara put away her water and yanked on Appa's reins, making a sharp turn to avoid getting burned.

Once she was back with the fleet Mai took command of it in Zuko's absence, using a series of hand signals to send new orders. On her orders the fleet split into three groups, two of them flying away while the third remained behind. Three bison flew directly south towards Ba Sing Se to assist Zuko, three more flew to the southeast to burn down the eastern side of the city, and the remaining four stayed behind.

But while Mai gave those orders there was a brief pause in the fighting, which Ty Lee didn't hesitate to use to give Anya and Azula a breather. Meanwhile Katara steered Appa towards Anya's position, taking advantage of clear skies to fly in a straight line. When the two bison met they flew side by side so close that their paws could touch each other, close enough for a quick conversation.

"They're splitting up," Katara said, pointing at the fleet.

"It's so we can't follow all of them," Azula reasoned. She saw the three groups of sky bison form, guaranteeing that at least one of them could not be attacked again. "We could really use reinforcements right about now."

As if on cue, Ty Lee spotted something in the air coming from the southwest. "Umm, what in the world is that?"

When Ty Lee pointed it out Azula looked in that direction, and had a hard time believing what she saw. "That's no sky bison."

Katara stared at the sight, having only one possible yet impossible explanation. "Since when can Toph _fly?!_"

* * *

><p><em>Ten minutes earlier…<em>

"Sokka, even for you, this idea is completely crazy!"

Toph's comment was shared by Jeong Jeong, who was currently busy using a narrow but intense flame to cut through metal. When he was finished Jeong Jeong had turned a large chunk of metal wall into a long right triangle, which was twenty feet long and seven feet wide at one end. There was a second metal triangle already cut into shape, the last part that Sokka needed to get his idea off the ground.

Literally

"Sometimes, crazy works," Sokka reasoned. He surveyed the area one last time, seeing Dai Li agents emerge from the rubble to fight off Fire Nation soldiers. "Now let's get started while we still can."

"Aye-Aye Captain Crazy," Toph said.

To make Sokka's idea a reality, Toph started by recreating her signature golem from the broken remains of the colossus. Once it was complete with Toph inside its chest, Jeong Jeong leapt onto the golem's back. Toph moved some of the golem's stone around to completely cover Jeong Jeong, except for a narrow shaft to let Jeong Jeong breathe through. Then she made the golem walk over to the twin metal triangles and grab one in each hand, so she could then place the seven foot wide sides onto the golem's back. Stone moved again to draw in the ends of the metal triangles, giving the golem a set of metal wings.

Even more stone moved around to balance the golem's weight, making sure that the center of mass was around Jeong Jeong. Toph's golem lost a couple feet in height in the process, while the portion that held Jeong Jeong was half the size of the golem's torso. She also made four narrow shafts in the stone around Jeong Jeong, two straight down from his feet and two aimed for the front from his hands.

But one piece still had to be added, a set of working eyes to replace Toph's feet. The golem picked up Sokka and put him on its head, which then sank into the torso and pulled Sokka down with it. When Sokka was buried up to his shoulders Toph bended some stone around Sokka's head, giving him a stone helmet that wasn't connected to the golem so that Sokka could still turn his head around. The new perspective felt weird to Sokka, but he knew it was only going to get weirder.

"Alright, here we go," Sokka said.

"Let's light this candle!" Toph yelled.

Jeong Jeong bended fire from his feet through the narrow shafts, using the tight space to amplify the amount of thrust he could generate. Fire shot out of the golem's back straight down, scorching the ground underneath while applying upward force. Weight shifted off the golem's legs, the burden gradually moving onto the intense fire. Slowly Jeong Jeong increased his efforts, bending more and more fire until the golem's feet lifted off the ground.

"It's working," Sokka said, seeing the ground slowly fall away. Now he wanted to see what they could really do. "Jeong Jeong: Maximum Burn!"

Almost instantly the flames intensified tenfold, producing enough thrust to send the golem rocketing into the sky. Toph screamed with excitement and terror, enjoying the fast acceleration yet dreading how her world had shrank to just the golem. After a few short moments of vertical ascent Toph tipped the golem forward, where fast winds caught hold of the makeshift metal wings and kept them aloft, preventing the golem from diving headfirst.

"Okay Sokka, control's all yours," Toph said.

"Let's test it out," Sokka suggested.

Inside the golem's upper half Sokka's limbs were spread out in the stone, having almost no room to move. But he could still apply pressure against the stone by trying to move his body, pressure that Toph could see with her vibration sight. When Sokka tried to squeeze his hand, Toph would make the golem's hand clench into a fist. When Sokka tried to lean to his right, Toph lightly squeezed stone on Jeong Jeong's left arm, prompting him to firebend with his left hand through the narrow shaft on that side, producing thrust that turned the golem to the right.

"Excellent!" Sokka yelled, very satisfied with Toph's response time. "Yes!"

In a quick burst of fire the flying golem rocketed across the sky, heading straight for the sky bison fleet at high speed. Just a few short minutes later the flying golem intercepted the closest sky bison, taking its pilot and firebenders by surprise. Wide spread arms slammed into the bison's front platforms, tearing them off along with half of the saddle. The pilot and two remaining firebenders were shocked by what they just witnessed, even as they watched the flying golem continue flying towards another bison.

The next bison's pilot saw the golem coming and swerved to the right, but not quick enough to stop it from grabbing the bison's left horn. Conflicting flight paths made the bison and golem spin round and round, and during that spinning the golem punched the bison's underside several times. Then the golem grabbed one of the bison's metal platforms before letting go of the horn, letting the spin momentum throw the bison and golem apart while ripping off the platform and its firebender.

While the golem restabilized its flight all of the nearby sky bison scattered, backing off to access the situation and figure out the best way to deal with the new threat. That's when Sokka spotted Appa nearby, and he had the golem fly in that direction to meet up with Katara. When the two shared the same airspace the golem flew side by side with Appa, close enough for Sokka's voice to cross the distance between them.

"Hey Katara," Sokka said.

"Sokka?!" Katara yelled, shocked to hear her brother's voice coming from under the stone helmet. "Have you gone nuts?!"

"Probably," Sokka answered. He took a look around and noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Aang?"

* * *

><p>In the streets of Ba Sing Se there was only chaos, civilians fleeing every which way to avoid being caught in a crossfire. Zuko had retrieved his swords and entered the lower ring through the gash he made in the inner wall, and Aang had followed him through it into the city. Buildings that had only just been rebuilt after the uprising were burned down all over again, casualties in a two man war between Fire Lord and Avatar.<p>

One street was torn apart when Aang earthbended a barrage of rock out of it, but swift sword swings deflected the rocks away from Zuko. A wide swing with both swords unleashed an arc of fire so large that the ends dragged against buildings that lined the street, setting them ablaze while it moved towards Aang. Even when Aang made a wall it didn't completely stop the attack, since his wall broke under the strain and spilled flames further down the street.

Zuko leapt over the burning street and swung both swords down, creating enough fire to fill the street for several blocks. Seeing no way out but down, Aang earthbended some rock over himself and then lowered the rock underneath, going underground to escape the attack. Heat seeped through the rock down to Aang, prompting him to go even deeper. Aang kept earthbending deeper below the city, entering a subterranean world where Zuko could not follow.

Suddenly the rock below Aang broke apart and dropped him into empty space, falling a short distance before hitting the bottom of a tunnel. To his surprise Aang saw light within the tunnel, coming from strange green crystals dispersed in the tunnel's walls. The light was brightest from one end of the tunnel, seemingly beckoning to Aang. So he followed the light down the tunnel, walking a short distance before reaching the end.

Aang found a large cavern that glowed with the green crystals, which seemed to grow from the very walls. In the middle of the cavern was an ancient square courtyard, surrounded by a shallow river that flowed from one corner to the opposite corner. All around the cavern were old buildings abandoned long ago, the remains of a society that vanished long before Aang was born. Even though he was the only person there, Aang couldn't help but feel like he wasn't alone.

"Hello?" Aang said. He made his way into the square courtyard, stopping in the exact center. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was there, someone that he could not see. "Who's there?"

Only silence answered him. Even the flowing water around the courtyard barely made a sound, making it seem like the entire cavern was completely at peace. Aang sat down in a meditative pose, wanting to take in the peace and quiet one last time before returning to the war above. When Aang closed his eyes and calmed his mind the strange feeling only grew, almost like he was surrounded by a vast spirit.

"Whoever you are, I'm the Avatar. I can feel your presence here."

Emotions flooded Aang's mind, but they were not his own. There was the fear of burning alive, the guilt of survivors, the shame of failing to save others, the grief for lost lives, the lies of politicians, the shattered illusions of isolation, and the selfish attachments to material possessions. They were the voices of the citizens of the city above, the combined spirit of a civilization in peril. It had no form or name of its own, just the essence of the people.

"I ask you," Aang hesitated there, realizing that they were not the right words. Now was not the time for humility, but the time to invoke his authority as the Avatar. "No, I _order_ you. Help us, in this dire time of need."

Silence shattered. The walls of the cavern started to shake and the river flowed more vigorously, while winds swirled inside and the ancient buildings burst into flame. Aang's eyes opened with a fierce blue glow, and his tattoos glowed as well. One by one the green crystals changed to blue, synchronizing their radiance with the Avatar State. The four elements surrounded Aang once again, but were merely the core of a much greater bending.

The collective consciousness of all Avatars joined with Aang, and greeted the spirit of the city, partaking in the power of the people.

* * *

><p>In the streets Zuko was casually swinging flames at everything in his way, easily overwhelming city guards that had no experience fighting firebenders. All around Zuko the city burned, save for the path he walked through. He could hear the locals fleeing for their lives, but soon they would have nowhere to go. The walls that had kept them safe for so long were now their cage, leaving them at the mercy of fire that would eventually consume everything inside.<p>

Still, Zuko kept his eyes open and his ears alert for the one threat left. "Where did you go Avatar?"

Suddenly the ground split in two, separating the street into separate parts with a widening gap in between. Zuko was almost knocked off his feet when the ground he stood on moved backward, while land further back crumpled and shifted upward. Then the entire city block Zuko stood on was raised into the air, supported by a rising column of stone. From his new vantage point Zuko got a good look at the lower ring, gasping at the sight all around him.

The city was alive.

As far as the eye could see buildings were moving around, some spreading apart while others collided and merged their walls. Elevation shifted wildly throughout entire districts, some lowering to make room for others to slide through while many rose up instead. Buildings rose up so high that they scraped the sky, before the stone columns they stood on started to slide towards each other, combining into a shifting mass of moving stone.

Underground aquifers burst open and released their water, flowing into the moving stone and lubricating it all. Powerful winds rushed through moving buildings, whipping up loose debris and adding it to the mix. Fire erupted from deep within the mixing elements and burned within hollow spaces, yet did not burn anything. And yet more and more land and buildings kept sliding in from further and further away, hollowing out the northern quarter of the lower ring.

Then a quarter mile long stretch of land straight to the south broke free and slid northward, almost taking a part of the next wall with it. Its northern end rose from the ground before attaching to the top of the moving stone, making a giant ramp in the process. That ramp split in two and the lower ends swung around to opposite sides, all while the buildings on it slid around and mixed with the moving ground they stood on.

And then the entire thing stood up, revealing colossal legs underneath composed of stone, water, and fire. Still buildings continued to move up and down the legs, sliding into places resembling armor. Above those legs an enormous torso took shape, vaguely possessing the proportions of a human body. Entire districts worth of buildings were worn like chainmail armor, but did not completely cover thick muscles made of fire and veins of water.

The mile long stretches of land compacted into arms, stone and buildings twisting around each other to create joints and large shoulders. Even from a distance the sky bison fleet could see the arms take shape, having a clear view of the left side. Then they saw the base of a hand extend out the end of the arm, which in turn extended a set of fingers, which clenched into a fist.

In between newly formed shoulders a large head rose up, resembling Aang's head but with a blocky helmet framing the face. At its core Aang hovered in a sphere of air with the other elements in rings around him, using the power at his command to animate the moving city. Crystals from the cavern slid into place where eyes would be, glowing bright blue like the Avatar inside. And those eyes looked down into the lower ring, where Zuko had retreated to a part of the city that hadn't moved.

A giant foot took a colossal step, crushing a burning warehouse underfoot like an anthill. That's when a deep and booming voice spoke, coming from the moving city itself.

"**BA SING SE HEEDS THE CALL OF THE LAST AIRBENDER."**


	40. The Comet: Part Three

Chapter 39: The Comet: Part 3

Heed The Call

Towering over Ba Sing Se was a being unlike any seen on Earth, born from the spirit of the world and the spirit of human civilization. It resembled a human being, but with bones of earth, muscles of fire, skin of air, and veins of water. Buildings from a portion of the city composed its armor like links in chainmail, covering most of its torso and limbs. At over half a mile tall and half as wide, it blotted out the view of Sozin's Comet to everyone within its enormous shadow. Eyes of glowing blue crystals looked down on the lower ring, focused on the greatest threat to the city's survival.

Fire Lord Zuko didn't stare back, but was instead trying to put as much distance between him and the elemental giant as possible. Riding on plumes of fire from his feet Zuko rocketed through the streets that remained intact, heading southwest as fast as he could manage. At the same time Zuko swung his burning swords wildly to throw arcs of fire at the giant, not even bothering to aim when the target was so massive. The attacks struck the giant and burned the surface, but there was so much mass that any damage was only skin deep.

A massive foot lifted off the ground and took a colossal step, its sheer size making it appear to move in slow motion. It passed over several streets and came down on top of an entire city block, flattening everything underneath with enough force to create an earthquake felt for miles around. Then the other foot made another colossal step, crossing several more streets and creating a giant footprint in addition to another earthquake.

The giant's large strides easily kept pace with Zuko's flight, shaking the land with every step. Zuko looked up in time to see a colossal left fist swing down from the sky, heading straight for him. He kicked out a blast of stronger flames downward to turn upward, rising into the air fast enough to make the fist miss. It passed just a few feet under Zuko before hitting the ground, pushing through the flames Zuko was using to fly and disrupting his flight.

Zuko landed on a ledge fused into the giant's wrist, getting just enough footing to jump off it. He used a burst of flames to augment his jump to get more altitude, enough to reach a slab of rock on the lower forearm. Zuko jumped again and again to make his way up the arm, getting just above the elbow when he saw the giant's right fist coming at him. At the last second Zuko jumped off the left arm and flew above the right fist, landing on the wrist that was now horizontal.

From there Zuko started running up the right arm, which for the moment was held at a shallow angle. As he ran Zuko dragged the tips of his burning swords against the 'ground' he was on, leaving twin scorch lines along his path. Zuko looked back for a second and saw the left hand coming back at him again, currently higher up than where he was now. So he used another firebending assisted jump to soar upward and through a gap in between massive fingers, reaching the other side and landing on the back of the hand.

Now at the same altitude as the giant's chest, Zuko used sustained firebending to soar even higher. He noticed that the giant's hands were rising upward and trying to grab him, and Zuko knew they would succeed if he didn't act fast. When he reached the height of the giant's head Zuko thrust both swords at it, shooting a massive plume of fire from the swords at the giant's face. His attack struck the giant's left eye and fire spread from there to the side of the head, burning a portion of the face.

When the flames dispersed there was a large scorch mark covering the upper left side of the giant's face, resembling a bad scar on a normal person. It even seemed to slow down the giant's movements, as if pain was interfering. But then scorched stone came loose and broke free, ridding the giant of the scar and making room for more material from inside the head to take its place. In mere moments there was no sign of any damage, like if Zuko hadn't even attacked in the first place.

"Knew it couldn't be that easy," Zuko muttered. He looked around and saw the sky bison fleet to the north, steadily flying towards his position. "Well, at least help is on the way."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile a feat of unconventional earthbending was still being employed against the Fire Nation, specifically Toph's stone golem flying on metal wings and propelled by jets of fire from Jeong Jeong, while Sokka's body movements told Toph which way to make the golem move. Sokka had thought he was being clever with that idea, but seeing part of a city turn into an elemental giant told him that he'd been clearly beaten. His surprise was noticed by Toph inside the chest, and while Jeong Jeong couldn't see anything from his position in the back he still noticed that something was off.<p>

"What's going on out there?" Jeong Jeong asked.

Toph relayed the question to Sokka, while also adding one of her own. "Did something big happen?"

"I'll tell you when it's over," Sokka promised. He took a look around and saw the sky bison fleet flying towards Ba Sing Se, the obvious reason being to assist the Fire Lord. He also saw Appa and Anya flying beside the golem in a triangle formation, where Katara and Azula were ready to fight. "Right now, our job is to thin the herd."

Together the three fliers intercepted the nearest enemy sky bison and attacked, starting with the flying golem ramming into the bison's underbelly with both fists forward. The strike made the bison roll in midair long enough for Anya to close in, allowing Azula to shoot a plume of fire that struck down two of the bison's firebenders. Appa was close behind and Katara attached from the saddle, using thrown ice daggers to sever a firebender's safety harness and then yank him off with a waterwhip. Only one firebender and the pilot remained on the sky bison, and both saw their assailants move on to the next target.

A group of four sky bison were closest, still flying towards the city while noticing the pursuit. Firebenders attacked with a barrage of plumes of flame, which crisscrossed through the air as the sources and targets kept moving around. Anya kept flying straight ahead while Azula used her own fire to block the attacks, Appa weaved and spun to maneuver around the attacks, and the golem went up and over the bison.

One of the sky bison broke formation and flew after the golem, getting behind and underneath it while firebenders attacked. Sokka noticed the pursuit and had the golem try to shake it off, having Jeong Jeong use his hands to blast fire for sideways thrust, going back and forth from side to side trying to lose the enemy. Still the sky bison kept up the pursuit, staying close enough for the firebenders to keep attacking.

Then Sokka noticed that another sky bison was just behind Appa, where Katara was under just as much enemy fire as she was. Somehow they'd gotten turned around and were now flying in the opposite direction as the golem, with only a slight course correction needed to have them fly into a head-on collision. Sokka made that correction and flew straight at Appa until the last second, both turning away at the same time and leaving their pursuers to fly straight at each other.

Instead of crashing into each other the pursuing bison followed their respective targets' turns, something that Sokka was not expecting. "Damn, was hoping that would work."

Suddenly fire rained down on the pursuing sky bison, courtesy of Anya diving down with Azula firebending at the other bison. Azula struck down on of the firebenders and burned the bison's side, prompting the pilot to change course to escape further harm. Anya was guided by Ty Lee to fly in front of the golem, leading the charge towards more enemy sky bison.

Azula opened fire on a pair of sky bison up ahead, filling the sky ahead with fire that blinded the enemy to the golem's approach. One of those sky bison had already lost a firebender earlier, and lost another one to Azula's firebending. At the right moment Anya swerved to one side to get out of Sokka's way, letting the golem intercept the sky bison and grab hold of its saddle. The golem planted both feet on the bison's tail and pushed, using enough force to rip the saddle off the bison's back before throwing it away.

The golem resumed its flight and left the sky bison alone, which flew away now that there was no one on it. A pair of firebenders on the other sky bison nearby tried to retaliate, but their fires were blocked by Azula shooting her own flames into it. During the firefight Appa arrived with his pursuer still chasing him, heading straight for the bison opposing Azula. At the same time the golem flew up and over the crossing flames and came back down in Appa's path, diving into airspace just after Appa flew through it.

At the same time the golem intercepted the bison chasing Appa and Katara attacked the bison opposing Azula. The golem rammed into the enemy bison's head and made it spin out of control, also grabbing the bison's pilot and throwing him off. Katara sliced through a firebender's safety harness and then yanked him off the bison, letting him plummet down to join the other bison's pilot. One sky bison flew off wildly without its pilot to guide it, while the other backed off to get outside Katara's reach.

"Well… we're making progress," Sokka muttered, seeing the damage they'd done to the sky bison fleet. But there was still more work to be done, as some of the fleet was still on course for Ba Sing Se.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere the Fire Nation discovered one large flaw in its improvised strategy to trap the earthbenders retreating from the colonial village. While blowing up the dam and unleashing the river had forced the earthbenders to create a large wall to block the torrent, it also gave them all the water they could want to counter firebending. Whenever someone caught on fire an earthbender would open a small hole in the appropriate spot on the wall, letting some water through to put out the fire and then shutting the hole.<p>

The water wasn't the only problem. Haru in his stone titan was fending off the bulk of the firebenders, charging through large flames to strike them down before they could cook him inside. Quick punches and kicks tossed the firebenders to the left and right, which ever was closer to the raging water that flowed past the sides of the wall. Each time the titan started getting hot Haru signaled to the earthbenders behind them, ordering them to open some narrow holes in the wall to spray enough water at him to cool down his titan.

Then some Fire Nation tanks arrived, having pushed through the defenses of the firebender deserters on the nearby hill. Five tanks lined up side by side and a plume of fire shot out of them, converging on Haru's position. Fire coated nearly the entire titan from the shoulders down, and the heat was so intense that Haru had to earthbend shut the hole in the face he needed to breathe through. While he still could Haru made the titan walk backward to get closer to the wall, where several earthbenders lowered a portion the wall enough to let water spill over the top and drench the titan completely.

When he couldn't hold his breath any longer Haru reopened the titan's face hole, gasping for air while in the manmade waterfall. The waterfall ceased to be when the height of the river dropped below the height of the wall, leaving Haru's titan soaked but otherwise intact. "Okay, that could have gone better."

Amongst the earthbenders the Kyoshi Warriors were fending off soldiers that got past the titan, using their war fans to strike down the soldiers so that the earthbenders could focus on managing the wall. Suki saw the trouble Haru was having against the firebenders, in particular how it appeared that he couldn't do any other earthbending while using his titan. A glance down at her war fans gave Suki an idea, something to help Haru.

"Weapons," Suki muttered. She turned towards the earthbenders and raised her voice. "Haru needs weapons!"

With a little coordination Suki got a team of five earthbenders to start making something for Haru to use. The earthbender team ran up to just behind the titan, and then started earthbending stone out of the ground ahead of it. Their combined effort created a stone shield that was fifteen feet tall, ten feet wide at the top, five feet wide at the bottom, three feet thick, and shaped like a triangle with rounded corners.

"Huh?" Haru muttered, seeing the stone shield come out of the ground to his left. He spotted a handle on the back that was to scale with his titan's hand, so he quickly made his titan grab it. The team behind Haru used earthbending to apply upward force on the shield, making it light enough for the titan to lift it off the ground with just its left arm.

Haru put the stone shield to good use right away, positioning it in between the titan and the tanks when they resumed shooting fire at him. The shield blocked the flames and absorbed the heat, keeping it well away from Haru. Then the titan started walking towards the tanks, pushing back the flames with the shield. And when it was close enough the titan started kicking over the tanks, interrupting the fire coming out of them.

Another team of five earthbenders joined the first, which had followed the titan to maintain their earthbending support. The second team earthbended stone out of the ground and shaped it into a giant stone war hammer, its ten foot long handle pointed straight up and its five foot cubed hammer head on the ground. Like the first team before them the second team used earthbending to lighten the war hammer, allowing the titan to take hold of it in its right hand and lift it off the ground.

"Now why didn't we think of this sooner?" Haru wondered aloud, wielding the war hammer and shield in the titan's hands. With long swings of the war hammer Haru slammed it into the sides of tanks within the weapon's reach, creating large dents in them before tossing the tanks away. And with the shield blocking firebending Haru could approach the tanks attempting to firebend from a distance, which he then disposed of with more swings of the war hammer.

Before long the tank drivers shifted the vehicles into full reverse, driving backwards while firebenders inside continued to blast more fire at the titan. Soldiers and firebenders outside the tanks were out of luck, and most were tossed across the battlefield by the giant stone war hammer. Those that escaped the titan's wrath found themselves under attack from the Kyoshi Warriors, who struck down the soldiers and firebenders to protect the earthbenders supporting Haru's weapons.

The sudden turn in the battle pushed Fire Nation lines back towards the village, far enough for the firebender deserters back at the hill to find a route back to their allies. Three of them continued to throw fire at the retreating tanks, while one made a quick run to reach Suki. "And here I thought we were supposed to lose this fight."

"It's not over yet," Suki said. She pointed at the tanks driving backwards faster than Haru's titan could walk, keeping outside the reach of the giant war hammer and blasting fire into the stone shield. "They're going to wear him down eventually."

Seeing the same possibilities, the deserter nodded. He also saw more possibilities with the weapons created and maintained by earthbending, which could use a little Fire Nation touch. "Then if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with some of your earthbenders."

* * *

><p>In Ba Sing Se the elemental giant left a long trail of large footprints as it followed Zuko's flight, each one holding the possibility of becoming a small lake one day. The trail zigzagged into the northwestern Agrarian Zone, passing through a portion of the inner wall that the giant had kicked down. Untold amounts of property damage were left in the giant's path, indiscriminate destruction of buildings and crops crushed underfoot.<p>

Zuko was trying to lure the giant north towards the sky bison fleet, but the giant wasn't making that easy. A colossal arm kept swinging into the path of Zuko's flight, forcing him to change course to dodge. While flying through the air Zuko kept swinging more and more fire at the giant, making dozens of scorch marks all over its body. Though his efforts made little damage Zuko kept attacking anyway, just in case luck was on his side.

While flying west Zuko dived towards the ground, using gravity to accelerate beyond the speeds his firebending could achieve. When he was a few dozen feet from the ground Zuko pulled up, using his acquired speed to soar back up and fly further away from the giant. Zuko rose back up to the height of the giant's torso while seeing the ground whirl by, and just up ahead Zuko spotted the outer wall fast approaching.

Suddenly the giant made a few slightly faster steps that shook the earth harder, and it pulled back a fist past its shoulder. It threw the fist in a far reaching punch that seemed to push the air in front of it, creating small cyclones all around it as the fist hurtled towards Zuko. The fist quickly caught up with Zuko and struck him from behind, knocking him out of the sky and plummeting towards the ground.

Just above the ground Zuko recovered and reoriented himself in time to blast fire down, slowing his descent but not completely stopping himself in time. Zuko hit the ground and tumbled across it for a few dozen yards, coming to a stop just short of the outer wall. "I'm going to feel that tomorrow," Zuko complained as he got back up. He looked up and saw the giant's foot coming down on him. "That is, if I can make it to tomorrow."

Having not enough time to get out of the way, Zuko pointed his swords at the giant's foot and blasted fire into it. Zuko focused his fire as narrow as possible, turning up the heat as much as he could for a small amount of space. Concentrated fire burned into the sole of the giant's foot, hollowing out a portion that was coming down on Zuko. The giant stomped on the ground that Zuko stood on, shaking the very foundations of the outer wall.

When the giant's foot was lifted back up there was a high spot in the footprint, where Zuko still stood after taking shelter within the space he'd hollowed out with fire. Zuko took flight again while the foot was still rising, getting out of the way when the foot stomped the ground again. From there Zuko flew up the side of the outer wall, and when he reached the top Zuko landed on it. Even there the giant still towered over Zuko, a far more imposing obstacle than the outer wall had ever been.

Then without warning a plume of flame struck the giant's head, coming from the northern side. Zuko looked up and saw the flames originating from a firebender on a sky bison, the first of the fleet to arrive and assist him. The giant looked at the firebender before swinging its right arm, swatting the sky bison away with the back of its hand. Another pair of sky bison arrived to replace the first and their firebenders attacked, giving the first sky bison time to recover from the hit.

Another sky bison flew straight towards Zuko, getting his attention with a loud roar. Zuko jumped into the air just as the sky bison reached him, landing in the saddle and finding the company of Mai. "What's keeping the rest of the fleet?" Zuko asked.

"Them," Mai answered, pointing at two sky bison in the distance escorting the flying golem.

"I see," Zuko said. He watched three more sky bison arrive, noticing that some of their firebenders had been lost along the way. The firebenders that remained attacked the giant with all the fire they could muster, drawing its attention away from Zuko and buying him time to deal with it. "Get us above that thing, I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"Sokka, we have a problem!"<p>

Toph's words were almost unheard amidst the chaos in the sky, where everything that flew happened to be circling around the elemental giant like a swarm of insects. Plumes of fire were everywhere around the giant, scorching several spots at once while the colossal arms swung at the firebenders on sky bison. At the moment the flying golem was soaring straight up to chase one of the enemy bison, passing by Anya so close that the heat of Jeong Jeong's fire was felt by Ty Lee and Azula.

Several hundred feet higher the flying golem caught up with a sky bison and grabbed a furry leg with the right arm, and then used the grip to pull itself up just a bit higher. With the other arm the golem punched one of the two firebenders still on it, hitting hard enough to snap the safety harness and toss the firebender away. The other firebender retaliated with flames that struck the golem's free arm, which shielded Sokka's face from the attack.

Suddenly the fire keeping the golem flying weakened to half of its intensity, and then began to fluctuate between stronger and weaker burns. "Toph, what's going on!?" Sokka demanded.

"We're losing Jeong Jeong!" Toph reported. She could feel him breathing heavily and sweating like a pig-boar, about to pass out from exhaustion after so much firebending without rest. "I tried to warn you!"

In just a few seconds all of Jeong Jeong's fire went out, and all the upward lift went out with it. All of the golem's weight came back with a vengeance, pulling down on the golem and the bison it still held onto. It was too much for the bison to support and it fell out of the sky, spinning round and round while the bison tried to escape the golem's grip. Under the strain the golem's right shoulder shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, detaching the arm and leaving the golem to plummet straight towards the ground.

"Oh we are so dead!" Sokka screamed.

Meanwhile Azula was firebending at another sky bison, but was interrupted when the golem fell through the air no more than three feet in front of Anya. "Whoa!" Azula screamed, surprised by the very near miss. She looked over the side of Anya's head and saw the golem plummeting face down, and that she had to act now.

Azula used some fire to sever the ropes keeping her on Anya, and then she jumped off the bison's head and dived after the golem. She firebended from her feet to dive faster than the golem fell, enjoying the adrenaline rush while catching up with the golem. Azula landed on the golem's back and pounded her fist against the stone, getting the attention Toph inside.

"If you want to live, open up!" Azula ordered.

Immediately Toph complied by splitting open the back with earthbending, revealing an unconscious Jeong Jeong inside. Azula grabbed the back of his shirt and threw Jeong Jeong out of the golem, letting him tumble in the air until Anya dived far enough to catch him in her saddle. Then Azula climbed into the empty space where Jeong Jeong had been, all the while trying to ignore the stink of sweat that seemed to permeate the rock.

"Do your thing!" Azula ordered.

Toph closed the back of the golem around Azula and then tightened the space inside, compensating for Azula's smaller size relative to Jeong Jeong. Then Azula used her feet to bend fire through the narrow shafts in the rock, reigniting the fire that provided thrust for the golem's flight. With that thrust the golem moved horizontal and got the wind underneath its wings again, achieving true flight once more a few dozen feet off the ground.

"Man that was close," Sokka said.

"You're welcome," Azula said.

"We're still missing an arm," Toph said.

"Oh yeah," Sokka muttered, looking at the shattered shoulder. But then he saw Appa dive past, getting even closer to the ground below. "What's Katara doing?"

Just above the ground Appa flew towards a nearby river, where he then started flying just above the surface of the water. From there Katara started bending all the water she could muster, coating Appa's back and belly in ice several feet thick. Once she had enough ice Katara guided Appa back towards the flying golem, where they then flew side by side for the moment.

"Need a hand?" Katara asked.

Sokka smiled. "Sure."

Katara bended some of her collected ice into a tiny stream that carried her across the gap between bison and golem, landing on the base of the right wing and making some ice to secure her legs to it. Then she bended the rest of the ice into water and made it flow off Appa, placing some of it on the remains of the golem's shoulder. Katara bended the water into shape and froze it into an arm of ice, which was twice the size of the old arm with sharp shards of ice for clawed hands.

"Sweet," Sokka complimented, liking the look of the ice arm.

With its new appendage the golem flew up towards the nearest enemy sky bison, which was currently attacking the giant's knee. When it was close enough the ice arm slashed at the bison's side, cutting through the saddle and some of the fur underneath. Before either of its two firebenders remaining could retaliate the golem grabbed the severed side of the saddle with its stone arm and pulled it off the bison's back, revealing the bottom of the saddle before slashing at the other side with the ice arm.

The saddle came off the bison's back and fell away with the firebenders, leaving behind the pilot who was holding onto the reins for dear life. Another slash of the ice arm severed the reins and freed the bison, and a swing of the stone arm tossed the pilot away. Without any guidance the sky bison immediately fled from the flying golem, perceiving it as a threat that it had to escape. Sokka let it go and turned his attention to the next target, having the golem fly ever higher to reach it.

* * *

><p>"I'm not quite following this idea."<p>

Suki wasn't the only one confused by the firebender deserter's suggestion. The handful of earthbenders available were scratching their heads as well, questioning how the idea would work in practice. Sure they could do as the firebender asked, as the specified earthbending wasn't a problem for a group. It was just difficult for them to see how it would be helpful.

"It would be best to see it in action," the firebender said.

"If you say so," Suki said. She looked at the fight between Haru's titan and the retreating tanks, which were stubbornly staying out of the stone war hammer's reach and burning through the stone shield. "Then you guys had better get started."

Everyone took a few steps away from the firebender, making plenty of room for stone to be earthbended all around him. First a sideways stone cylinder was earthbended into shape with the firebender inside, ten feet in diameter and six feet long with sides two feet thick. Then a hollow stone tube was created and added to one end, which was five feet in diameter with one foot thick sides. On one edge of the opposite end a stone handle was added, scaled to fit the hand of Haru's titan.

Suki knocked on the side of the new weapon. "Are you okay in there?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," the firebender said, though his voice seemed to echo inside and warped as it came out the narrow end.

"Okay then," Suki said. She turned towards the battle and gave the command. "Haru, Catch!"

While blocking fire with the stone shield Haru looked towards Suki, seeing the new weapon next to her. The group of earthbenders combined their efforts to launch the weapon at Haru, using constant earthbending to keep it intact. Haru dropped the stone war hammer and grabbed the weapon in the hand of his titan, holding it by the handle while the earthbenders supported the weight with bending.

"Umm…" Haru muttered. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Just aim it," the firebender instructed. "Pick a target and I'll do the rest."

"I hope you know what you're doing in there," Haru said, wondering why someone was inside the weapon.

The titan swung the weapon around and pointed it at the closest tank, providing the firebender inside a clear line of sight through the open end. He punched to firebend into the hollow tube, using the confined space to compress and accelerate the fire he made. A narrow but powerful shot of fire came out the other end and hit the tank, striking with so much force that it exploded into a ball of flame that scattered tank parts all over the battlefield.

"Holy mother of…" Haru cursed, surprised by the new weapon's destructive power. He aimed it at another tank and another shot of fire struck the target, destroying it as well. "This thing is way too dangerous to exist!"

"It won't when the comet leaves," the firebender said.

"Oh yeah," Haru said, figuring that normal firebending wasn't strong enough to make this weapon work. "Then we'd better make the most of it."

After dropping the stone shield the titan gripped the weapon in both hands, one hand on the handle and the other underneath the firebender's feet. Haru aimed it at the tanks one at a time and shot after shot of fire struck with deadly accuracy, destroying one tank after another. Panic set in among the tank drivers and they slammed their feet on the pedals, fleeing backwards as fast as the tanks could drive. It wasn't enough to escape the deadly shots of fire from the weapon, especially once the titan started advancing while shooting.

Behind the titan the earthbenders and Kyoshi Warriors advanced as well, providing support for Haru as well as striking down Fire Nation stragglers. Total chaos broke out among the Fire Nation troops and they scattered in every direction, clearing the way back to the colonial village. Individual soldiers that remained found themselves spared from the titan's weapon, only to be hit by a Kyoshi Warrior's fan or sword.

In seemingly no time at all the battle reached the village, surprising locals who believed the Fire Nation had repelled the earthbenders. The titan walked into the village's streets and opened fire on tanks that remained, destroying the last defense the Fire Nation had there. Soldiers that remained fled from the village in droves, leaving behind the residents that cautiously walked into the streets.

In the center of the village Haru stood in his titan, amazed at the turn of events. "Well what do you know? We won."

Nearby Suki looked around the village, seeing the earthbenders and her fellow warriors begin rebuilding streets damaged in the conflict. "We've won this battle, but we don't know about the war."

In response to that Haru broke apart his titan from the inside, letting the pieces of it fall amidst the street. He walked over to Suki and then earthbended the ground underneath them, raising a mound of earth that was ready to be moved across the continent. "Then let's go find out how the others are doing."

* * *

><p>Even though he was no longer flying under his own power, Zuko still didn't have the opportunity to rest in the saddle of a sky bison. Mai was guiding it straight up into the sky as fast as it was able, getting as much altitude as quickly as possible. The air was getting thinner and thinner as they passed the mile high mark, making it harder to breathe and difficult for the bison to ascend. A few hundred feet higher and the bison could no longer fly higher, as there wasn't enough air to bend for upward flight.<p>

In between deep breaths in the thin air Mai fought to stay conscious. "Are you sure about this?"

"As much as anything," Zuko said, breathing just as heavily as Mai. "It's the only thing I haven't tried yet."

"And for good reason," Mai argued. She had to pause to get in a few deep breaths. "Lightning is dangerous by itself, but this is just insane."

"It's been an insane day," Zuko reasoned. With his swords in his hands Zuko jumped off the bison.

As he fell through the air Zuko focused and started making the arm motions for creating lightning, or at least the closest he could get to it while in free fall. The first two fingers of each hand were pointed parallel with the sword edges, as well as crackling with electricity as the lightning began to form. The electricity was drawn into the metal of the swords and stored there, building up greater and greater power as Zuko repeated the arm motions over and over.

Soon the swords began to overflow with electricity, spawning arcs of lightning that followed the blades as Zuko swung them around. There was nowhere for the lightning to go while Zuko fell out of the sky, so it kept building up more electricity and the arcs grew larger and longer. Lightning coiled around Zuko in spiraling arcs that seemed to dance around each other, appearing to cross each other from outside but never actually touching each other. The very air seemed to charge in the presence of so much electricity, to the point where Zuko's skin started to tingle enough for him to fear a static discharge causing problems.

Then Zuko thrust both swords towards the giant below while keeping the blades parallel, using intense focus to bend all that lightning back into the weapons. All that electricity confined in metal made the swords shine brighter than the Sun and Sozin's Comet combined, as if a new star had ignited in the sky. Electricity came back out of the swords and combined in the space between them, coalescing into a single massively supercharged bolt of lightning.

And then Zuko fired the lighting.

In a blinding flash the supercharged bolt of lightning seared through the air, followed by all the booming thunder of a natural storm all at once. In seconds the lightning struck its target with deadly precision, the center of the elemental giant's chest where a person would have a heart. Searing heat from the lightning burned into the chest deeper and deeper, all while electricity spread throughout the giant and boiled its watery veins. And then the lightning punctured the giant's entire torso, coming out the backside and striking the ground behind it.

Immediately the giant came to a sudden stop. Its eyes looked down at the gaping hole in its chest, and their glow began to flicker. The veins of water rapidly vanished in rising clouds of electrified mist, and the muscles of fire began to dwindle and burn out. One leg took a step back before falling onto its knee, making the other leg bend the other way and bring down the giant partway. Pieces of buildings broke off around the wound and fell back to earth, crushing anything and everything that lay underneath. The arms went limp and hung at the giant's sides, while the rest of it went very still.

Still falling through the air Zuko's arms were shaking and his hands were completely numb, yet still intact after taking that deadly gamble with lightning. For a second Zuko almost forgot that he was in free fall, too absorbed in the sight of his greatest foe brought down to its knees. A very powerful reminder was the ground fast approaching, prompting Zuko to firebend with his feet to fly again. His arms were in no condition to steer his flight so Zuko only went for a controlled landing, letting the breeze drift him to the top of the outer wall and land there.

Once his feet were on solid ground Zuko let his arms drop, hearing the tips of his swords clang against the rock. He took a few minutes to do nothing but breathe, being very exhausted at the moment. And then Zuko started laughing, and could not stop himself. In that moment Zuko felt like he could do anything, and that he had truly earned his title of Fire Lord.

When Zuko finally got himself to stop laughing he took in a few deep breaths, and then looked around for a specific sky bison. "What's keeping Mai?"

* * *

><p><em>Several minutes earlier…<em>

Without Azula to attack the sky bison fleet, Ty Lee focused her efforts on keeping Anya out of enemy fire. She took a moment to finish securing Jeong Jeong to the saddle, just in case Anya flipped over while he was still unconscious. But while she lacked the means to deal with the firebenders that remained, Ty Lee noticed that there was one bison that had no firebenders at all. And that bison was ascending high above the fleet, and Ty Lee had Anya follow it higher into the sky.

When the air started to get thin Ty Lee saw a body fall by, and it was gone by the time she recognized it as Zuko. "Did he just jump?" Ty Lee wondered aloud. She turned her head around in time to see Mai's bison dive after Zuko, following him towards the ground but keeping some distance behind him.

When the two bison were at the same altitude Mai spotted Ty Lee, and both of them made eye contact. And in that moment Ty Lee saw something for the first time, Mai's normally expressionless face turning to anger. Until now Mai had wished that Ty Lee hadn't been with the rogue sky bison, but seeing her up close forced Mai to face the truth.

"Traitor!" Mai yelled.

Hearing that word from a friend froze Ty Lee, driving home just how much she had to lose if Zuko won the battle. It was one thing to run away from home and join the circus, there was always the option of returning home to her family. But now there would be no going back for Ty Lee, not unless she was truly on the winning team.

An incoming knife pulled Ty Lee back into reality and she pulled her head back, watching the knife fly by above her eyes. More knives and some small daggers followed in a barrage of blades, which Ty Lee avoided by twisting her body back and forth. Ty Lee yanked on Anya's reins to make her turn sharply to the right, widening the distance between bison and making it harder for Mai to aim at a moving target. Some of Mai's knives struck Anya's side and head, but merely bounced off her thick fur or failed to hit vulnerable eyes.

Mai stopped her attack to take her bison's reins and guide it towards Anya, flying fast enough to catch up and intercept the target. The bison flipped upside down and flew above Anya, where Mai held on with both legs and then threw more knives straight down at Ty Lee. When Mai stopped throwing to grab more knives Ty Lee pulled back on the reins as much as she could, which got Anya to ascend and slam both saddles together.

Amidst a crunch of twisted metal Mai lost her grip and fell into Anya's saddle, where Ty Lee was waiting to disable her harmlessly. But Mai knew exactly what to expect from Ty Lee, keeping her eyes on Ty Lee's fists. Each time Ty Lee moved a fist to strike a pressure point Mai swung her own fist into Ty Lee's wrist, deflecting the strikes meant to paralyze her. After several attempted strikes both girls realized they were in a stalemate, as Mai couldn't get on the offensive while deflecting Ty Lee's attacks.

A blinding flash from below interrupted the fight, so bright that it hurt both girls' eyes even with Anya's body in the way. Thunder followed the flash and nearly deafened them, leaving a ringing in their ears after it passed. In response to the light and the sound Mai stepped backward to prevent Ty Lee from exploiting the momentary weakness, stumbling into the damaged edge of Anya's saddle. There Mai tripped over the saddle, falling over the side.

Just in time Ty Lee closed the distance and grasped over the saddle's side, grabbing hold of Mai's left hand. Even though they had just been fighting, Ty Lee didn't want Mai to fall. "Give me your other hand!" Ty Lee yelled, feeling Mai's grip starting to slip through her fingers.

At first Mai reached for the hand of a friend, but stopped before taking the hand of a traitor. Instead Mai slammed her free fist into Ty Lee's fingers, forcing her to let go. Mai fell off the bison's side and plummeted through the air, all while Ty Lee stared down in horror. While she fell Mai tried to aim her fall towards the nearest Fire Nation sky bison, but all of them were constantly in motion and were all too easy to miss.

Immediately Ty Lee had Anya dive after Mai, racing to save her live even if she didn't want it done by her. But Mai was diving headfirst with her arms against her sides, minimizing wind resistance to maximize speed. There was one sky bison below on a downward flight path near Mai's dive, which Mai was hoping would be in the right place at the right time. Ty Lee saw the same bison and had a clear view of Mai's descent vector, just slightly off from what was needed for the bison to catch her.

All she needed was a slight nudge.

Reacting instead of thinking Ty Lee cupped her hands behind her back, and in one swift motion she thrust both hands towards Mai. Down below Mai felt a change in the wind around her, enough for a slight push in the direction she needed to go. With no time to spare Mai intercepted the sky bison and crashed into its furry hide, just barely missing the side of the metal saddle. The bison's fur cushioned Mai's fall and proved plenty of handholds for her to grab onto, but Mai still screamed in pain when there were loud cracks in her legs.

Just a few seconds later Anya dived past the bison that caught Mai, where Ty Lee saw the bison's pilot already moving to pull Mai into the saddle. Even a brief glimpse was enough to see that Mai's legs had broken in the fall, but she was still alive. Ty Lee sighed in relief once she knew Mai was going to be okay, but then stared down at her hands. The hands that had created the wind that saved Mai.

"I'm an airbender?" Ty Lee muttered, still staring at her hands. She thought about how people might react if they found out. She knew that most would not take it well, but there was one person that would celebrate it. "Well, I suppose Aang will be happy."

* * *

><p>"Aang Is Down!"<p>

Katara's scream sent chills down the spines of everyone inside the flying golem, but for various reasons. Toph was mostly confused, having no idea how well Aang had been fighting the entire time. Azula was shocked by the distressing news, having no idea what could possibly bring down the elemental giant. Sokka was hearing a confirmation of what he saw below, that the elemental giant really had a hole in its chest and wasn't moving.

"Then it's up to us," Sokka said. He searched the sky and the ground for the Fire Lord, and found Zuko standing on the outer wall. "There! We can end it all there!"

The flying golem started a shallow dive towards Zuko, and along the way it reached the outer wall first. From there the golem flew just above the top of the wall, staying just a few dozen feet above the surface. Katara made the ice arm hold its fist in front, waiting for Sokka to have Toph and Azula dive at the right moment to strike Zuko with it.

Zuko saw the golem coming and swung both swords up, bending a thick vertical arc of fire aimed for the golem's head. Sokka saw the fire coming and had the golem swerve to his right, getting most of it out of the line of fire. The middle of the left wing was hit by the fire, heating up the metal so fast that it started to glow red. Metal screeched as it was weakened by the heat and stretched by forces of flight, and in just a few seconds half of the wing snapped off.

Instantly the golem lost control of its flight and spun around in circles, unable to compensate for the broken wing. Toph did her best to keep the golem upright with earthbending, while Azula did her best to slow down the golem with timed firebending. Their efforts did little to stop the golem from colliding with the wall below it, hitting it feet first and dragging against the rock. While sliding on top of the wall the golem stopped spinning with its backside forward, allowing Azula to shoot fire into the oncoming space to apply thrust against the golem's momentum.

The golem slid past Zuko before it came to a stop, where the lower half of its legs had been grinded off by friction. Its left hand was on the floor for stability, leaving the ice right arm and remaining wing up in the air. Once the golem was halted Azula stopped firebending, to prevent it from going the other way and lose control again. Then everyone let out a sigh of relief, considering themselves fortunate to have been above the wall before the fall.

"Is everyone okay?" Sokka asked, feeling a little bit queasy.

A small hole opened in the golem's chest and vomit poured out. "Does that answer your question?" Toph asked when she finished throwing up.

Katara was about to complain, but the subject quickly changed when she saw fire heading her way. "Duck!"

The warning got Toph to focus again and make the golem duck underneath the firebending attack. Now that the golem was standing on solid rock Toph ignored the vibrations she felt from Sokka, no longer needing his eyes to anticipate danger. She took a few seconds to repair the golem's legs with fresh stone before charging at Zuko, whose swords were set ablaze once more.

Though exhausted after all the fighting done today, Zuko held his ground and faced the approaching threat. "I've beaten that trick before, and I'm going to do it again," Zuko said.

Zuko charged at the golem and swung both swords to bend twin fire arcs at it, which crashed into the golem's left arm that blocked it and scorched the stone so much it started to crumble. At close range Zuko leaped on flames from his feet and got over the golem, swinging his swords down on the head. Katara bended the ice arm into water and put it in the way of Zuko's burning swords, letting fire and water clash and combine into steam.

While landing on the golem's left shoulder Zuko crossed his swords and then swung them, bending a large X of fire towards Katara. She used all the free water she had to shield herself from the fire, but the heat melted away the ice that secured her to the right wing. Katara fell off the wing and her back slammed against the stone below, followed by all of her remaining water splashing on the stone all around her.

Suddenly Zuko lost his footing as the entire left shoulder collapsed, brought down by Toph severing the burned limb with earthbending. The golem took a few steps back and then leaned forward, followed by Toph making the entire torso spin at the hip to swing the intact wing down and towards Zuko. At the last second Zuko rolled out of the way and then slashed so close that the blades cut into the golem's back, where metal and fire carved through stone and opened a hollow space inside.

And Zuko found a blue oni mask staring through the hole.

"Surprise!" Azula shouted, right before blasting fire with both fists.

Zuko let himself fall backward to get out of the fire's path, seeing flames pass over his head to scorch rock behind him. When Azula stopped firebending Zuko leaped back onto his feet and got a little distance from the golem, where he used his burning swords to block another attack from Azula. With one sword Zuko shot fire into Azula's fire, and with the other sword Zuko slashed an arc of fire at the golem's legs. Fire burned and weakened the stone legs so much that it could no longer support the golem's weight, shattering the legs and making the golem fall with Azula's side face down.

After the golem slammed into the wall Sokka ended up staring up at the red sky, and then tilted his head back to see Zuko closing in for the kill. Suddenly the middle third of the golem's torso was ejected from it, propelled by earthbending towards Zuko all while Sokka screamed as he was carried along. Zuko jumped over the ejected part and let it pass underneath him, completely ignoring Sokka's screaming the entire time.

Toph walked out of the golem's remains and set foot on the solid rock of the outer wall, then grabbed a large chunk of the golem with the intact wing still attached. With earthbending Toph threw the entire chunk which took the wing with it, sending it straight at Zuko. Metal and stone clashed with metal and fire, the latter pair prevailing as Zuko's burning swords cleaved through Toph's thrown wing, leaving twin pieces that almost crashed into Sokka.

"Watch it Toph!" Sokka yelled, completely stuck inside the golem piece he was still inside.

"I'm trying to fight here!" Toph yelled back. She felt Zuko making another fire attack and rolled to one side to avoid it, then rode on a wave of moving stone to get around Zuko and reach Sokka.

One strike later and the stone around Sokka crumbled into pieces, freeing him from that piece of the golem. "Thanks," Sokka said, getting himself out of the rubble.

"You again!" Zuko yelled, seeing Sokka stand up. "How many times must you get in my way?"

"It's what I do," Sokka admitted.

"I'll make sure that's mentioned at your pyre!" Zuko promised, punctuating that with a slash of his swords. He sent a massive wave of fire towards Sokka and Toph, so wide that it nearly reached both sides of the outer wall.

Toph earthbended a stone barricade to block the fire, which barely held up under so much heat. She was ready to repeat the earthbending when burnt stone crumbled, but then she noticed something that drew her attention to the inner side of the wall. "Oh… so that's what Sokka saw earlier."

Zuko didn't like the sound of that, so he turned his gaze towards the inner side of the wall. What he saw grabbed his entire attention instantly, as it was far bigger than anything his current enemies could ever throw at him. The elemental giant was back, its fiery muscles at a steady burn and its watery veins at a low volume. Glowing blue eyes narrowed and glared at Zuko as the giant towered over him, showing that the spirit within was very clearly pissed.

A colossal right fist came down from the heavens faster than anyone thought possible, leaving nowhere near enough time for Zuko to get out of the way. All he could do was firebend with his swords to make a shield of flames, holding the swords above him and focusing the fire so much that the air rippled in its heat. The front of the colossal right fist collided with the top of the wall, cratering the impact site and sending massive shockwaves throughout the entire outer wall.

Being very close to a very large force, Sokka was knocked off his feet. On the other side of the fist Katara was thrown back by rushing winds dragged in its wake, tumbling across the top of the wall several yards. Near her the remains of the golem shook apart and dumped Azula onto solid rock, which seemed to be vibrating intensely at the moment. And all three of them heard Toph screaming in agony, clutching at her overwhelmed feet.

The colossal fist was lifted off the wall, revealing a shallow crater in the shape of a fist print. In the center was a small spot that hadn't been pressed down, on which Zuko was still standing. His fire shield had burned a hollow space into the fist that tried to crush him, but that didn't stop the force from rattling him to his very bones. Zuko's whole body trembled and his breath was deep and uneasy, but his firebending held strong.

Then the colossal fist struck again in the exact same place, pounding an even deeper crater into the top of the wall. Cracks spread from the crater up and down the wall's length, while some pieces of rock broke off the inner and outer edges. When the fist was lifted off again Zuko's fire shield was beginning to waver, barely hiding the crumbling high spot that he stood on. So the colossal fist struck again with even more force, burying half of the fist in the wall and making the growing cracks widen into gorges.

So much intense vibrations had Toph on her side with her knees pulled up to her chest, while her hands were cradling her bleeding feet. "Make it stop… Make it stop… Make it stop…"

Once again the colossal fist was lifted off the wall, revealing Zuko at the bottom of the fist shaped crater. He dropped to one knee and his whole body was shaking, and yet he kept his swords raised and the fire shield burning. But his defense began to waver and dim as Zuko simply couldn't keep it up under so much force. Already Zuko could feel his body beginning to fail him, as he was gradually losing sensation in all of his limbs.

Sokka watched the elemental giant get ready for one more strike, seeing it twist the wrist to hit with the bottom part of the fist. "Oh Man, This Is Going To Suck!"

The colossal fist slammed onto the wall one more time, pounding the exact same place with even more force. The giant's forearm demolished the inner side of the fist shaped crater, turning it into a deep gouge in the outer wall's inner side. House size chunks of stone broke away from the wall and hundreds of cracks grew and widened, threatening the very structural integrity of the outer wall. Everyone around the impact site was thrown back by the force, tumbling down several yards along stone that seemed to be coming apart. And then the colossal fist was lifted away one more time, and was kept ready in case another strike was necessary.

Zuko's fire shield just barely held up during the strike, but was quickly going out. He forced himself back onto both feet and raised his swords higher, bending new fire around the weapons. But that fire sputtered and went out completely, followed by Zuko collapsing and falling onto his back. His arms fell back as his body slammed against the stone, and Zuko lost his grip on his swords and dropped them just above his head. There Zuko was very still, barely breathing and struggling to remain conscious.

The elemental giant spread its arms apart and leaned forward, placing both hands on the wall far from each other. It shifted its weight onto relatively undamaged and stable parts of the wall, and then left its head above the gouge it made and looked straight down. Then the giant's fiery muscles dwindled and went out, followed by the water of its veins raining down on the land below. And then the glowing blue eyes dimmed and changed to the natural green of the strange crystals, signaling that the spirit's work here was complete.

Only the bones of earth and chainmail armor made from buildings remained, a seemingly hollow monument to the destructive power unleashed on this day. From inside the skull Aang climbed down through an open mouth, and he was no longer in the Avatar State. Aang jumped off the stone and fell towards the wall below, airbending an upward current of wind to slow and control his descent. He landed within the large gouge in the wall, and he stood next to the beaten Fire Lord.

Zuko saw Aang next to him, expecting the worst. "You can't do this. It goes against everything you stand for."

Aang pulled back one fist, a clear start for a firebending move. And then he punched with that fist, and shot intense fire from it. For nearly a minute fire burned within the wall's gouge, obscuring the view of Aang's target from above. But when the fire stopped Zuko found himself still alive, and wondering what Aang had been firebending at. Zuko tilted his head back a little, allowing him to see that the blades of his swords had been completely melted into slag.

"Surprised? Don't be," Aang said, refusing to take a life. It not only went against his beliefs, but experience with the previous Fire Lord told him that it would do no good. "You're not worth it."

* * *

><p>On his moving mound of earth Haru brought Suki with him to the eastern side of the continent, and over too much time they reached Minara. Seeing the central tower demolished and a lack of intense combat convinced Haru to keep moving, and he didn't even bother to slow down his mound and kept traveling east. It quickly became clear that he had made the right decision, especially when they reached the land northwest of Ba Sing Se.<p>

Scattered around the area for miles were the remains of a few sky bison saddles and several metal platforms, reduced to scraps of twisted metal after falling out of the sky. Among the wreckage were firebenders and rescued pilots, saved from a plummeting demise by the use of intense flames to slow their falls. Haru ignored them and kept his mound of earth moving towards Ba Sing Se, where he and Suki could see the remains of the elemental giant leaning against the outer wall.

"Aww…" Suki complained, figuring that the battle was over. "We missed it."

Then they both heard the roar of a sky bison nearby, which at first made them worry that it was from an enemy. When Haru turned his head to look at it he saw a familiar bison instead. "Appa," he said, figuring that the bison had seen them coming a mile away.

But there was no one in Appa's saddle or holding the reins. "But where's Katara?"

Before Haru could say anything Appa flew parallel with the moving earth and tilted his saddle towards it, asking them to get in. Haru let Suki jump first and land in the saddle before following, and once he had jumped off his earthbending stopped and the mound halted. When they were both safely in the saddle Haru jerked a thumb at the outer wall.

"I think it's a safe bet that Katara's over there," Haru said.

* * *

><p>On the northern side of the gouge in the wall Sokka hurried to Toph's side, where she still laid on her side and was shaking like mad. "It's over Toph," Sokka assured, putting his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her. When it didn't work Sokka looked to the other side of the gouge. "Katara, I need help over here!"<p>

Katara bended some water around her hands and then started running along the wall, taking a route around the intact side of the gouge. She had to jump over several wide cracks in the wall to make it across, and she found her way to Sokka and Toph. Once she arrived Katara knelt beside Toph and put her water on Toph's feet, where the water glowed while healing the source of Toph's agony.

"I got this covered," Katara said.

"I'll check in on Aang," Sokka suggested. He walked over to the edge of the gouge in the wall, being careful to not dislodge any cracked stone with his weight. From the edge Sokka slid down the side, descending a few dozen feet to reach the bottom.

Meanwhile Azula slid down the opposite side of the gouge, reaching the bottom at the same time as Sokka. Then she slowly walked towards Aang while holding a flame in one hand, which suddenly swelled and turned blue. "This would be so sweet," Azula admitted. And then she put out her blue flame. "But a deal's a deal."

"Wait a second," Sokka said. "You're _not_ going to betray us?"

Under her mask Azula smiled. "It's tempting, but incredibly short sighted." She took a few more steps and stopped next to Zuko, where she crouched and removed the Fire Lord crown from her brother's head. Azula stood up and looked at her reflection in the crown's metal, seeing the blue oni mask stare back. "This is much better for me in the long run."

"Fair enough," Aang said.

A weak groan showed that Zuko was still conscious, but he was too weak to get up. He managed to turn his head and see Sokka next to Aang, both of his most hated enemies. Zuko couldn't help but remember the first time he met Sokka, during that false pretense of a parley at the North Pole. The thought got his blood boiling in anger, realizing that if he hadn't been honorable on that day then this one would have had a different outcome.

"This is all your fault!" Zuko screamed, finding the strength to lift his head and chest. "I should have killed you when I had the chance! _Sokka!_"

Sokka stepped back a little, suspecting that Zuko's scream might be followed by fire. But the fire never came, only a face filled with fury was what Sokka found. Sokka didn't bother to say anything in response, as there was nothing worth saying to the beaten Fire Lord. All Sokka did was look back at Zuko, locking eyes with him one last time. He seemed compelled to examine the face of the enemy, one that seemed perfect for a member of royalty.

_That face will do nicely…_

That thought sent a chill down Sokka's spine, for it was not his own. Intense cold came over him and brought Sokka down to his knees, and he could not stop shivering. Another presence seemed to emerge within his mind, one that seemed incomprehensible to him. The invading presence seemed uninterested in possessing Sokka's body, merely using it as a conduit into the physical world.

"Look away," Sokka warned.

"Sokka, what's wrong?" Aang asked, having a nagging feeling that something was wrong.

"Just look away!" Sokka begged.

A dark cloud appeared around Sokka, which convinced Azula to twist her mask a little so she couldn't see through the eye holes. The dark cloud rose up and condensed into a physical form, one that resembled a giant centipede. Aang couldn't help but stare as the spirit entered the physical world, but the spirit seemed uninterested in him. Instead the spirit's Noh mask face was turned towards Zuko, grinning as it lunged towards him.

No one watched what happened next, but all three of them heard a scream that Sokka knew would haunt his nightmares.

When Koh was finished he raised his upper half of his body and twisted it around, looking down on Sokka. Koh changed his face to try out a new one, using the face of Fire Lord Zuko. **"Your debt is paid, mortal."** And then Koh disappeared into thin air.

"What the flameo was that!" Aang yelled.

"A spirit," Sokka answered, rising to his feet. "It's one that I hope we never meet again."

Azula straightened her mask and looked around, and immediately wished she hadn't. She saw Zuko lying very still, and a giant burn scar that covered the entire front of his face. Only his eyes remained undamaged, but they stared blankly with no sign of emotion. Immediately Azula yanked her mask off and threw up, spilling vomit on the stone. Then she placed her oni mask on Zuko, so that no one else would have to see the burn by mistake.

"Okay…" Azula said, turning toward Sokka. "Note to self: Never get on your bad side."

Sokka shook his head. "Can we just get out of here now?"

Aang nodded. He started earthbending the stone they were all on, making it slide up the side of the gouge to reach the top of the wall. There they found Katara still working on healing Toph's feet, having gotten the bleeding to stop and slightly calming her. And then they all heard the roar of a sky bison, belonging to Appa flying towards the wall. Appa landed on the wall and let Haru and Suki jump off the saddle, setting foot on semi-solid stone just as everyone else gathered together.

"Well it looks like the gang's all here," Haru said. He saw Azula holding the crown in her hand and that her mask was on Zuko. "What happened to him?"

"Don't ask," Azula warned. "Trust me, you do not want to know."

A weak groan revealed Toph recovering her grip on reality, though her vibration sight was still blurry after the overload. "Is it over?" Toph asked. "Did we win?"

The sky gradually faded from red to blue, starting from the east and spreading to the west. All eyes looked up to see Sozin's Comet pass into the western horizon, on its way back into space for another hundred year journey. When the last of the comet's fiery tail was gone the sun could be seen again, but only for the last few moments of sunset. Then the sky gradually shifted to the dark of night with stars shining bright, signaling the end of this day.

With the comet leaving and taking its heat with it the power of firebending reverted to normal, dramatically reducing the potential damage that could be done from the air. Regular fireballs petered out over the distance from a sky bison to the ground, unable to inflict any lasting damage. And so the remaining sky bison scattered to the winds, each pilot seeking to save their own skin.

"It seems we did," Aang said. "We won."

A collective sigh passed around, followed by awkward silence. The first to break it was Suki. "Well now what do we do?"

Aang looked toward the city. "We rebuild."


	41. Epilogue

_A/N: Just a little something to tie up loose ends._

Epilogue

A few days had passed since the destruction of Sozin's Comet, time spent by both sides mourning their respective losses. But there was still work to be done for Aang and the others, or else risk prolonging the war even longer. The Fire Lord's throne was vacant once again, and Azula had to claim it before any ambitious nobles considered taking it for themselves.

Accompanied by Ty Lee, Sokka, and Suki, the princess took Anya back to the Fire Nation. The journey was quick and quiet, but felt tediously long in uncomfortable silence. It wasn't the lingering distrust of Azula that kept them quiet, but the eerily still faceless body strapped into the saddle. Sokka couldn't bear to look at him, not while he still felt guilty for the fate of the former Fire Lord Zuko.

As Anya flew over the Fire Nation the skies were quiet, not a single burning boulder from a catapult could be seen. Even in the middle of the day over the capital there was no sign of any retaliation, despite the very real possibility of messenger hawks beating the bison here. Anya slowly descended towards the palace, yet there was still no response to their presence.

"Something's wrong down there," Azula said.

"Should we turn around?" Ty Lee asked.

"No," Azula answered. She kept her eyes open for any sign of trouble. "Just be ready for anything."

After a gentle descent Anya landed in front of the palace, which appeared to be completely deserted. One by one the group climbed out of the saddle, except for Suki to guard the near lifeless body of Zuko. When the three approached the palace doors they were opened from the other side, revealing the glorious interior once they walked inside. However, the décor was not how Azula remembered it.

"Is it supposed to look like this?" Sokka asked.

The large interior still had the dark metal walls Azula knew, along with various tapestries showing the Fire Nation insignia as well as other artwork on the walls. However someone had placed new smaller tapestries over the insignias, a white flower on an indigo background. Azula recognized the kind of flower on the new tapestries, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ty Lee asked.

After getting her laughs under control Azula shook her head and answered. "So this is what the old man was planning all this time."

Sokka raised one eyebrow at that comment. "So this is not a trap?"

Azula ignored him and led the way through the palace, where there continued to be no resistance to their passing. The occasional servant was seen performing essential tasks, but not one said a word. More of the same flower tapestries were spaced along the hallways under every lamp, which had Sokka and Ty Lee getting more curious about what it meant. All too soon they reached Azula's destination, pulling back a curtain to enter the throne room.

"You've really outdone yourself," Azula said on entry. Inside she saw someone occupying the throne, as well as with a group of old people standing guard in front of it. "Taking the palace by force when its defenses are strongest, but I suppose that's to be expected from the Dragon of the West."

Sitting on the throne Iroh took a sip of tea before putting down the cup, then stood up and watched Azula approach. "It wasn't difficult as you'd think. There were many sympathizers here that missed my way of running things."

Meanwhile Sokka entered and took a look around, in particular around Iroh. "Who is this guy?"

"Who is that guy?" Iroh asked.

"One of the Avatar's companions," Azula answered.

"I could have sworn his Water Tribe companion was a girl," Iroh said.

"That'd be my sister," Sokka corrected.

"Ah," Iroh said.

Azula changed the subject by holding up the Fire Lord headpiece. "I suppose now you'll be wanting an Agni Kai to see who gets to rule?"

There was a pause as Iroh seemed to consider that, but it ended when he shrugged. "Not really. At my age it would only delay your eventual reign. I'd rather retire peacefully and give advice when needed."

"Even after everything?" Azula asked.

"Especially after everything," Iroh answered. "Someone has to keep you from burning the place down."

"Fair enough," Azula conceded.

Sokka politely raised his hand. "So are we done here?"

"Almost," Azula said. She made the short walk up to the throne, stopping in front of her uncle. Iroh gently nodded and stepped aside, letting Azula take the throne and sit in it. From there Azula looked at Sokka, liking the new perspective. "You'll have your peace right after my coronation."

"Sounds like a plan," Sokka said.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the world work was already underway rebuilding Ba Sing Se, utilizing the tools currently at the citizens' disposal. Avatar Aang was using earthbending to raise a set of stone walls to build a new house for a dislocated family, and he finished the construction by earthbending several stone slabs into position for a roof. The finished house was crude and bare inside, but sufficient for immediate shelter. This house joined a row of others just like it in the lower ring, all built by earthbenders for the people of the city.<p>

"Next," Aang said. He watched a family of four enter the stone house he just finished building, only to be replaced by another displaced family waiting their turn. So he got back to work earthbending another stone house into shape, taking his time to make sure it was done right.

When the construction was half complete Aang was interrupted by Appa landing next to him, followed by Katara climbing off the saddle. "Hey."

"How are things looking around the city?" Aang asked.

"Better than they were," Katara answered. "There are still a few fires left, but the Dai Li have them contained."

A few groans and complaints were heard from nearby civilians, which Aang had no trouble understanding. "Who'd have thought that Toph could keep them under control?"

"Maybe honest work is a welcome change of pace for them," Katara guessed.

"Yeah," Aang said. "There's plenty of it to go around."

"More than just rebuilding homes," Katara said, waving an arm at the stone houses. "This city still doesn't have a new leader."

"And what do you expect me to do about that?" Aang asked.

"Well you are the Avatar," Katara said. "Isn't this the kind of thing you're supposed to sort out?"

Aang earthbended a stone bench and sat down on it. "Even if I knew what I could do, I'm not sure if I should do it. I just don't know what this city needs in a leader."

Katara sat down next to Aang. "Can't you ask a past life for advice?"

"I don't think I can rely on them," Aang answered. "Avatar Kyoshi propped up the line of Earth Kings, but that only delayed their downfall a couple of centuries. I'm thinking that Kyoshi made a mistake."

"That's not all of it, isn't it?" Katara asked.

"Yeah," Aang admitted. "This city is about as different from the air temples as anyplace could get. I'm not really qualified to have a say in who gets to lead it."

"I see," Katara muttered. "Well then, who does get a say?"

"The people who live here," Aang answered. "They deserve to choose their own leader."

"Then I guess we'll just have to wait and see who they pick," Katara said. She stood up and offered her hand to Aang. "Whatever happens, we'll find a way to get through it."

Aang nodded, and then took Katara's hand to let her help him up. "But for now, we'd better get back to work."

* * *

><p>The months ahead passed by all too quickly, consumed by the work of establishing a new world order. Another new Fire Lord took command of the Fire Nation, and immediately decreed that all soldiers were to return home immediately. The war had gone on for far too long, and deserved to be ended after the same celestial event used to start it. Now known as the Hundred Year War, the century of fighting was finally coming to an end.<p>

While Fire Lord Azula sorted out her nation's internal politics, the united Water Tribe started their own rebuilding. Now it was the South's turn to build in the North, resurrecting a frozen city from the ruins of the North Pole. Under the leadership of Chief Hakoda the northern city gradually began to live again, populated by returning refugees and southern civilians providing assistance. Even some of the swampbenders lent a hand, even if they had to forego their usual attire to survive in the cold.

Meanwhile the Fire Nation colonies were left to settle their own affairs, each achieving autonomy when the soldiers were withdrawn. The westernmost colonies established new ties with the Fire Nation, the easternmost colonies rejoined the Earth Kingdom, and the colonies in the middle banded together in rejecting both nations. Instead those colonies formed their own nation, one to fill the void left by the long gone Air Nomads.

And once the world was back on track for peace, Avatar Aang spent his time seeking out those with the potential for airbending. More wild sky bison were found in the uncharted lands and brought into the wider world, so that people could once again watch and learn from the original airbenders. Aang had high hopes for his search, especially after discovering the airbender in Ty Lee. That proof of concept convinced Aang that the Air Nomads could live again, now that the world could welcome them back.

The road ahead would not be easy, but it would be worth it.

_A/N: Alright, confession time. It's a great relief to have this story done and over with, so much that I have decided to not write a sequel. Originally Aang was going to die at the end of Sozin's Comet so that __Korra __could be born prematurely, but I've come to realize that such a sequel is not worth doing. There are already some stories out there involving an early Korra, and those aren't tied down by an existing story's continuity. So I'm letting this story end here with a happy ending._


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